WIESBADEN, Germany – Students from across the continent came to U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden for the Culinary Arts Festival of Europe Feb. 12 at Army Community Service.

Students from seven Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe schools, including Wiesbaden High School, participated in the competition.

Teams demonstrated their culinary knowledge, skills, and creative abilities during the competition through the preparation of a unique three-course meal consisting of a starter, an entrée and a dessert, according to event organizers. Performance was observed and rated by judges from the foodservice industry and post-secondary schools.

The student chefs were judged on safety and sanitation, product taste and appearance, and menu and recipe presentation.

WHS senior Fernando Collado competed for the second year in a row. He recalled as a child watching his mother cook and said he wants to be a chef.

“This is my career,” he said. “I always wanted to be in the kitchen, even when I was little.”

WHS senior Jonah Tyler said he and his teammates were nervous, but they handled it well.

“Cooking is fun for me – a lot of joy; a way to decompress,” he said. “It’s something I used to do at home all the time, and I came here, and I learned a lot of new skills.”

Terry Hunter, culinary teacher at WHS, was pleased with how the students did.

“They practiced hard – they put in a lot of hours, and each time they got better,” she said. “They were happy with the comments they received.”

The results were announced later that evening with Stuttgart High School taking first place, Alconbury Middle High School in second place and Hohenfels Middle High School in third place.