BY JEAN JACQUES BOHL
Members of the Wood River High School Culinary Academy who participated in state competition are, from left, Gustavo Guillen, Omar Salamanca and Marisol Reyes.
The next Anthony Bourdain may very well hail from Wood River High School, as students with the school’s Culinary Academy took top honors at the state culinary competition in Boise April 7-8.
The competition, held at the Riverside Hotel, was part of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America State Leadership Conference.
The WRHS culinary team consisted of seniors Gustavo Guillen, Marisol Reyes and Omar Salamanca. They competed against 20 teams from throughout the state, who qualified for the state competition by winning local district events.
The Wood River team competed in the “skills and creativity challenge,” where each team was given a menu to prepare and an hour of completion time. The ingredients were provided, but it was up to the students to bring their own utensils. Three courses made up the menu.
The jury was comprised of three professional chefs, who awarded Guillen, Reyes and Salamanca the “gold” top ranking. The three were also awarded scholarships to help them pursue a post-secondary education. They were also invited to attend the national competition.
There were other accolades for the students, as all three received “on-the-spot” job offers.
After high school graduation, Guillen and Reyes plan to attend the College of Southern Idaho Culinary Arts program, while Salamanca intends to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Guillen, Reyes and Salamanca have belonged to the WRHS Culinary Academy, founded in 2003, for two years.
“These are extraordinary students,” said academy instructor and advisor Joyce Pratt.
She explained that the academy curriculum is challenging and covers diverse types of cuisines as well as food safety. Each student has to pass the National Food Safety Test. Second-year students are employed in the industry to mix instructional theory with praxis.
Pratt said the Wood River Valley is a great place for culinary students to learn. Assistance is provided by Sun Valley Co., which offers students opportunities to learn on the job.