School lunch and creativity were synonymous in the agriscience program recently at Schoharie High School. The students of the UHS Agribusiness Management class were exposed to beef production and nutrition by developing a beef-centric recipe and marketing strategies in the fifth annual Top Cut Beef Contest hosted by the NY Beef Council and NY Agriculture in the Classroom.
The team of 5 students: Sadiyah Abdur-Rashid, Grade 12, Lorelei Frederick, Grade 12, Yazmin Goodrich, Grade 11, David St. George, Grade 12 and Michael White, Grade 10 developed their recipe of Valley Style Mongolian Beef to be served in cafeteria. They worked with Food Service Manager Lateef Clark to identify the process of procuring, preparing and providing a balanced school lunch. Schoharie High School is pleased to announce that their efforts have been rewarded with a 3rd place overall finish in the High School division among the nearly 70 classrooms that participated.
“Through this fun experience, students were exposed to beef production and nutrition by developing a recipe and marketing strategy, while also learning about the versatility of beef alongside safe food handling practices,” said Taylor Bogardus, agriscience instructor.
Students learned about food procurement, budgeting and item limitations as well as the strict nutritional requirements that have to be followed. The group of 5 students tested their recipe using the FACS classroom kitchens and explored food photography to gain appealing images of the finished product for their marketing materials. The students are looking forward to using the marketing flyers and announcements they created to encourage classmates to order school lunch when the meal is served in the cafeteria.
The entries from across the state were judged by a panel of beef producers and industry experts. Each entry was evaluated on the product, market analysis, marketing plan and the beef nutrition analysis. Third place earned the class $50 and a banner to display their achievement. The class has decided to donate the $50 to the Joshua Project for the district backpack meals program.
For more information about the Top Cut Beef Contest, visit the New York Agriculture in the Classroom website at www.agclassroom.org/ny. New York Agriculture in the Classroom is a partnership of Cornell University, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, New York State Education Department, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and New York Farm Bureau. New York Agriculture in the Classroom fosters an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of our food and fiber system.