SR-R Culinary Team Wins 1st Again At State Competition

Back row - L-R: Mary Levinski, Jaidiv Lachmansingh, Chelsey Vogel, Fionn Falk, Noah Rosenberger, Hazel Snavely Front Row: L-R: James Leeder (mentor chef), Samah Tariq (mentor) Kavan Gullette

SAUK RAPIDS -- A team from Sauk Rapids-Rice has proven they are still the best in the state. The culinary arts program competed Tuesday at the Minnesota ProStart Invitational at the River Centre in St. Paul.

They took first place in the Restaurant Concept Management competition. It is their 17th win in the past 18 years.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Culinary Teacher Mary Levinski says the event asks teams to develop a unique restaurant concept. She says her team pitched a food truck idea.

They were looking at doing a food truck with all of their foods served in bowls.

Levinksi says the team also placed 4th overall in the culinary competition.

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Levinski says the team still has a busy spring with their next competition coming up in late April in Orlando for 'Cook Around the World' at Disney World.

We'll be working with Disney chefs.  We don't come with a preconceived menu, we're given a mystery basket.  It is the first time for us going to this event.  And then, we turn around and go to nationals for ProStart which is in Washington, D.C.

The Sauk Rapids-Rice team is the only Minnesota team to cross the national stage twice previously finishing 2nd and 5th in the nation. Levinksi says her teams usually finish in the top 10 nationally.

She says interest in the program at Sauk Rapids-Rice, as well as other schools across the state, continues to grow. There is a waiting list to get in at Sauk Rapids-Rice.