Stuart Career Tech High School’s Culinary Arts Academy partnered with La Porte’s very own Ed’s Bistro to host Goose Creek CISD’s first Ed’s Bistro Culinary Cook-Off, offering senior culinary students a unique opportunity to showcase their skills in a fast-paced, professional-style cooking competition.
Pictured, from left, Shonna Prentice, Stuart Career Technical High School Principal, Christopher Toppeto, Layla McCarty, Eddie Gernert, Makenize Morehead, Devan Gerner, Brinlee Sonntag, Edward Revak, and Leia Miller, Associate Director of Career & Technical Education. Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman.
The event featured three teams of senior students competing in a three-round elimination challenge modeled after the popular “Chopped” TV show. Contestants were presented with mystery ingredient baskets at the start of each round and tasked with creating an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. After each round, one team was eliminated, with the final three students competing individually in the dessert round for the title of Ed’s Bistro Culinary Cook-Off Champion.
Pictured, from left, Stuart Career Tech students Alec Lopez, Maria Tenorio, and Erik Gonzalez, and judges Edward Revak, Christopher Toppeto, and Devan Gerner. Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman.
The competition was judged by a panel of industry chefs, who evaluated dishes based on taste, presentation, and effective use of ingredients:
- Chef Edward Revak, along with his wife, Jody, founded Ed’s Bistro to share their passion for food and wine with the La Porte community and surrounding areas. The bistro features a diverse menu and hosts special events such as wine dinners and educational tastings.
- Chef Christopher Toppeto, a graduate of Stuart Career Center’s Culinary Arts program, now serves as a Sous Chef at Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa, and Convention Center in Galveston.
- Chef Devan Gernert, co-owner of Talespin Pizza in Houston, previously worked as an executive chef for Guy Fieri and co-developed the “Neo-Texan” pizza concept.
- Chef Eddie Gernert, co-owner of Talespin Pizza, studied at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and served as Corporate Chef for Fajita Pete’s.
Erik Gonzalez, a senior Culinary Arts student, hosted the event and conducted a live cooking demonstration of bruschetta for the audience.
Junior Culinary Arts students also played a role, preparing appetizers for guests and helping reset the kitchen between rounds. Students from the Digital Communications Academy filmed the event to produce a GCCISD-exclusive cooking competition episode, which is set to be released later this month on the CTEinAction YouTube channel.
The competition concluded with Makenzie Morehead earning the title of Culinary Champion. Brinlee Sonntag placed second, and Layla McCarty took third. All three winners received cookware donated by Family First ER and custom cutting boards engraved by Sterling High School’s Construction class.
The Ed’s Bistro Culinary Cook-Off was a valuable opportunity for students to engage with industry professionals, gain hands-on experience, and demonstrate the strength of Goose Creek CISD’s Career and Technical Education programs.