MARLBOROUGH – Superintendent Ernest F. Houle is pleased to share that juniors in the Culinary Arts program at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School recently participated in a national competition during which they created gourmet dishes using Meals Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
On March 22, eight teams of students participated in the U.S. Army National Guard MRE Challenge, which is being supported by SkillsUSA.
Students under the direction of Culinary Arts Instructors Jess Bengston, Louis Trudeau, and Margo Wilson were provided pouches of MREs, which are ready-to-eat field rations used by United States Armed Forces. Participants were tasked with using the ingredients in the MRE packages to create more appealing meals.
Meals were judged by members of Dining Services and from the School Counseling Program, and members of the Massachusetts National Guard.
“All of the students were thoroughly engaged the entire time,” said Staff Sgt. Jared Bein, one of the judges. “With the limited ingredients they were given, the dishes that they created were amazing!”
“This was a great challenge for our students,” Superintendent Houle said. “This event tested not only the skills they have acquired while at Assabet Valley, but pushed them outside their comfort zone and forced them to be creative with limited ingredients and resources. These lessons will pay dividends as they continue in their careers.”