Food and nutrition classes bring the reality show Cupcake Wars to life. All of the culinary arts teachers and students participated in the event. Students from different classes all competed for the reward of having the losing teams make spaghetti, chicken, or macaroni-and-cheese for them. This event lasted for two days. On the first day, the students worked diligently to create their cupcakes, and on the second day, they decorated the cupcakes and were judged by volunteer staff.

  To start the competition, the students were separated into four groups with about six people in each group. The individuals described the process of baking the cupcakes as relatively easy and enjoyable. Junior William Turner says, “The easiest part is making the batter and putting it together in the mixer.” Then, sophomore Elizabeth Brandy states, “It was more stressful than I thought, but more fun to do.”  Even with the stress of baking their cupcakes before their time ran out, William and Elizabeth had fun. Baking of the cupcakes concluded on day one of the task.

  On day two, the food and nutrition students’ design skills were put to the test. This final period concluded the competition, and a winner was selected. All four teams worked very hard on their designs. Although their experience was fun, there were some obstacles. William reveals not every step was easy, “The hardest part is the piping and making the frosting for it then, displaying it properly.” Then, sophomore Edith Garcia says, “It was challenging because of the time limit we had. We never had a time limit before.”  No matter the challenges the students endured, their masterpieces were completed by the end of the second class period. 

  After all the hard work and preparation, it was time for the judges to select a winner. The judges sat at their set up stations with scorecards, plates, utensils, and water. The cupcakes were presented and judged based on taste, texture, garnish, creativity, and presentation. Scorecards were then submitted anonymously. There are different winners for each class. Mr. Steele’s 4B class winner was Group 1, with their red velvet heart cupcake. Overall, this was a friendly competition that students and teachers enjoyed. As stated by one of the judges, Mrs. Sanchez, “My favorite part of the cupcake wars was seeing the students present their finished product. They were all so enthusiastic to present what they created, and every cupcake was so different!”

  Despite competing strongly for the prize, students were good sports, played fair, and enjoyed a memorable experience.