IEKHS Culinary Students Cookin' Up a Storm During AgFair Weekend

Chef Digby Stridiron of balter St. Croix mentors students enrolled in the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Culinary Program during the 2017 AgFair weekend on St. Croix.

 

Ivanna Eudora Kean High School students enrolled in Ms. Kerish Robles' Culinary Program recently sizzled during the Agriculture Fair Weekend on St. Croix. 

The budding chefs were given the opportunity to explore the preparation of local foods alongside local celebrity chef, Digby Stridiron of balter restaurant in Christiansted. The experience was a part of Ms. Robles' desire to expose her students to different foods and new cooking techniques. There was no one better to call on than her culinary colleague, Chef Digby. The respected chef and St. Croix native is both an official member of the Slow Food Movement and the James Beard Foundation, earning him acclaim as the first chef to host a prestigious James Beard dinner in the Virgin Islands.

balter is known for taking local ingredients and transforming them into extraordinary dishes bursting with one-of-a-kind flavors. 

The students spent Saturday, February 18 as understudies of Chef Digby and his team. They were given hands-on experience in the kitchen and also showcased some of the techniques they learned at school. They assisted the professional kitchen staff with prepping the evening's dinner service, where they would later taste the fruits of their labor as they dined at balter that evening.

On Sunday, February 19, the students had a second opportunity to showcase their culinary skills at the Agriculture Fair. They and Ms. Robles participated in a cooking demonstration, where they prepared their mouthwatering pumpkin lemongrass soup with smoked seafood--a dish that is known to keep diners coming back for more.  As part of the demonstration, the group prepped food and displayed how to make a smoker for the fish using household items. They also presented lessons on how to prepare the dish to the large crowd that had gathered.

It's safe to say that this was an experience the students will savor forever! 

 Ms. Coreen Celetine, CTE director and Mr. Matthew King chaperoned students on the trip.