Culinary students showcased at food festival

(HUTTO, Texas) - Sugar, spice and everything nice happen at Texas State Technical College's East Williamson County campus restaurant, Level 3.

TSTC Culinary Arts program students Francisco Delatorre, Jacob Johnson and Arcadia Montez designed a three-course-style menu for the food festival held on June 27. All three students are in their fifth semester at TSTC. The student chefs planned the menu, created recipes, and presented the dishes to attendees.

"I really want the event to highlight the students," commented instructor chef Chasey Davis after setting up the occasion. "They had to create everything and even ordered the ingredients."

Montez arranged the baked brie with caramelized prosciutto appetizer option. Delatorre prepared sea scallops with a sweet pea sauce. Johnson rounded out the meal with strawberries and creme street tacos.

"I wanted to see how many elements I could get in one bite," Montez said when asked why she chose her appetizer dish.

"I researched different recipes online with my mom," Johnson said about his inspiration for the tacos. "She saw this one and thought it looked really good."

TSTC staff members also participated in the festival, with bacon-wrapped stuffed dates from Davis and chocolate chip cookies from instructor chef Brian Bohannon.

Benardo Montez, Arcadia Montez's father, surprised her at her table.

"Now that she's in this program, she does the grocery shopping for us at home," he said. "She cooks at the house too, and my wife loves it."

Johnson's mother, Amy Johnson, attended the event to support her son. She said Johnson became interested in TSTC's Culinary Arts program after seeing it firsthand during a campus tour.

"He really lit up," she said. "He found his passion."

Terry Cook, Williamson County Precinct 1 commissioner, was also in attendance.

"I came today because I received an email about an event," she said when asked how she learned about the event. "I am a big supporter of technical programs and getting parents to understand their value."

Cook's favorite menu item was the strawberries and creme street taco.

The student chefs will present a six-course meal as their final exam in August. The meal will also be open to the public by reservation only. Reservations and additional information for that event are available athttps://calendly.com/chefdavis/6-course-lunch?month=2024-08.

Registration for TSTC's fall semester is underway. Learn more at tstc.edu.

Student-created menu items: strawberries and creme street taco, left; sea scallops and sweet pea sauce, right; and baked brie with caramelized prosciutto, behind.

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