Octopus with chipotle avocado crema and corn relish. Vegan Indian malai kofta with seasoned naan. Smoked brisket with jalapeño cornbread. The new menu of a South Beach restaurant? No, they’re just some of the winning dishes created by more than Miami-Dade public school culinary students at Taste of Education, an event honoring the organization’s teacher champions and showcasing the skills of aspiring middle-school and high-school chefs.
Teams of students prepared dishes for judging by celebrity chefs, including Ralph Pagano of Naked Taco; Paulette Bilsky-Phillips, The 305 Chef; chef Allen Susser; Letty Alvarez of LA Sweetz; Ayesha D’Mello of Ayesha’s Kitchen; Jose Mendin of Pubbelly Sushi; Thomas Russo of The Biltmore Hotel; influencer Pat Mackin; Linda Gassenheimer of Food News and Views; Max Santiago of Max’d Out Donuts; Mayda Perez of Front of the House; and John J. Brunetti Jr. and Adina Brunetti, owners of Hialeah Park, site of the event. Dishes in various categories – desserts, meat, seafood and vegetarian – were judged based on factors including visual appeal, taste, texture and presentation.
The annual event is hosted by The Education Fund, an organization that provides resources and services to students and educators in Miami-Dade public schools, including Food Forests for Schools. This program uses edible gardens and food forests as outdoor learning laboratories, involving more than 30,000 students within 51 public elementary schools.
The winners were:
Dessert
• Runner-up: Strawberry Tres Leche Cake by Cougar Chefs from Miami Killian Senior High School
• Winner: Reverse Spherification Mango with Panna Cotta by Fish Tales from MAST Academy
Meat
• Runner-up: Pan-seared Mock Beef Tenderloin served with garlic mash by Pioneer Chefs from North Miami Senior High School
• Winner: Mini Frita Cubana by Cubs Kitchen Lamar Louise Curry Middle School
Seafood
• Runner-up: N’awlins crispy grits and shrimp by The Main Ingredients from Miami Jackson Senior High School
• Winner: Octopus with chipotle avocado crema and corn relish by Garnet and Gold Gourmet from Miami Springs Senior High School
Vegetarian
• Runner-up: Vegan “Choriz-no” Empanadas by Empaloompas from Miami Coral Park Senior
• Winner: Vegan malai kofta (Indian dumpling) in curry mushroom by Fire Spirits from American Senior High School
Overall Pitch
• Runner-up: N’awlins crispy grits and shrimp by The Main Ingredients from Miami Jackson Senior High School
• Winner: Vegan malai kofta (Indian dumpling) in curry mushroom by Fire Spirits from American Senior High School
Overall Visual
• Runner-up: Octopus with chipotle avocado crema and corn relish by Garnet and Gold Gourmet from Miami Springs Senior High School
• Winner: Vegan kofta (Indian dumpling) in curry mushroom by Fire Spirits from American Senior High School
People’s Choice
• Runner-up: Reverse Spherification Mango with Panna Cotta by Fish Tales from MAST Academy
• Winner: Smoked Brisket with Jalapeño Cornbread by Smokin’ Hot Hawks from Miami Springs Senior High School
For more information visit The Education Fund.
