DAY TWO of our visit to VIdalia, GA during the Onion Festival and there was SO much going on here. Carnivals, concerts, a craft fair,even the Blue Angels were in town. We didn’t have to be at the Golden Onion competition until noon so we slept a little late and had breakfast downstairs at our hotel.
There were actually two competitions going on that day, the Golden Onion competition with professional chefs from all over Georgia and a “Chopped” style competition where three Students from South Forsyth High School had to create three dishes each from a mystery basket of ingredients.
I have a TON of pictures from the day so I’m going to break it up into two posts. First up, the student competition. The big surprise for me was that when we got there I was asked to be a judge for the competition, that was such a huge honor. The kids were so focused and determined to put forth professional dishes that I have no doubt they will all be successful chefs.
I must say, while all the students were extremely talented, I was most impressed with the youngest to the group, Joseph. Joseph showed such amazing thoughtfulness by fashioning a plate warmer out of a heated griddle. That blew me away because it showed his problem solving thought process. Not only did he have his guests in mind, wanting to make sure that our food maintained the proper temperature when it reached us, he also had to figure out from very limited resources how to make that happen. Another example of his mature thought process was demonstrated in the appetizer round when he removed the tails from the shrimp making them much easier to eat. Pulling a shrimp tail from your lips is not an easy feat if you’re at a party, balancing a plate and holding a wine glass. Even if your sitting at dinner having a nice chat with a date or whomever, do you really want to be removing shells from your mouth..I do NOT. That may seem like a small thing but its huge in my book, it shows that he is thinking of his guests total dining experience. Impressive.
Vidalia onions were included in EVERY dish including dessert.
Shell
May 11, 2015 at 8:14 pm (10 years ago)I’d love to go to a competition like that. I’m such a foodie.
Anjanette @MommaYoung
May 7, 2015 at 12:08 pm (10 years ago)That looks like fun and what an amazing opportunity to win a scholarship. Those are some talented high schoolers.
Amy Desrosiers
May 6, 2015 at 3:57 pm (10 years ago)I love Chopped style competitions! I was in one at General Mills and it was so much fun!
Kristi
May 6, 2015 at 3:21 am (10 years ago)What a fun experience for the students and thank you for writing about it to give it some recognition. There food looks amazing as well.
Annie
May 6, 2015 at 2:41 am (10 years ago)What a fantastic event!! I never would have known what to do with vidalia onions in a dessert LOL
Karen
May 6, 2015 at 2:39 am (10 years ago)I’m impressed with the student’s ability to create a dish using items presented to them. I would love to have the recipes, especially the ones using chard.
Travel Blogger
May 6, 2015 at 1:52 am (10 years ago)That’s so fun! I’ve always watched the chopped show and thought “I could do that” ..I probably couldnt but I would like to try .lol.
Estelle
May 5, 2015 at 10:16 pm (10 years ago)This looks like such a cool thing to do. I get hungry just looking at all of these fabulous dishes!
Rosey
May 5, 2015 at 9:48 pm (10 years ago)Vidalia onions were always my mom and grandma’s favorite. How cool that all the recipes used them. And double hurrah for a great event!
Camesha | Mama Motivator
May 5, 2015 at 8:13 pm (10 years ago)What a cool experience! Getting scholarships was just the icing on the cake!
Crystal
May 5, 2015 at 6:41 pm (10 years ago)I wish I had taken up cooking younger. These young adults have so much talent. I’m sure we will be seeing them again.
Debbie L
May 5, 2015 at 4:34 pm (10 years ago)This is really a great event – I think it is so good that young adults get a chance to go for their dreams.
kristin
May 5, 2015 at 3:24 pm (10 years ago)How fun my girls love spending time in the kitchen. So valuable for young adults too.
Beth@FrugalFroggie
May 5, 2015 at 2:53 pm (10 years ago)I don’t know enough about onions to know the difference between them. But I do know that my mom always made a big deal about getting Vidalia onions.
Debra
May 5, 2015 at 2:31 pm (10 years ago)I love it when kids get in the kitchen. They can come up with such wonderful, inventive dishes with amazing flavor. They really have a gift.
Ronni
May 5, 2015 at 11:01 am (10 years ago)I love seeing kids in the kitchen! This group is seriously impressive too! How fun to watch!
Penelope Guzman
May 5, 2015 at 3:08 am (10 years ago)I would actually love to witness this! How cool!!
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert
May 5, 2015 at 2:07 am (10 years ago)As a chef, I love watching culinary students get some attention and recognition too. What a great event!
Veronica
May 5, 2015 at 1:23 am (10 years ago)Must be fun to be in a cooking contest. Their foods look so good
Debbie Denny
May 5, 2015 at 1:11 am (10 years ago)What a neat event. I think this would be so fun.
Christie
May 5, 2015 at 1:00 am (10 years ago)That would have been so cool to judge! Love that everyone got scholarships
Marcie W.
May 4, 2015 at 11:54 pm (10 years ago)We watch Chopped as a family on a very regular basis, so seeing that type of competition life and in person would be so much fun. Kudos to the students that successfully used onion in their desserts!
Cassie
May 4, 2015 at 11:30 pm (10 years ago)This sounds like a really awesome event! I would have loved to have been there myself to have seen it. More kids should be encouraged to cook.
Liz Mays
May 4, 2015 at 11:19 pm (10 years ago)Wow that is such a cool event. It’s so cool seeing young people with so much talent! Congrats to everyone!
Jeanine
May 4, 2015 at 11:08 pm (10 years ago)Wow this would be fun. Such a fun experience I bet!
Megan @mnmspecial
May 4, 2015 at 9:50 pm (10 years ago)What a neat experience to show up and be judging a cooking competition! Those plates look so yummy. So happy for them to all get scholarships.
Stefany
May 4, 2015 at 8:37 pm (10 years ago)What a neat experience for them (and you!). I agree that all of them are likely going to be very successful!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
May 4, 2015 at 6:48 pm (10 years ago)How fun is that! I love that they all got their scholarships, too!
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
May 4, 2015 at 6:16 pm (10 years ago)That sounds like an absolute BLAST! What a cool experience.