Luncheon to raise funds to support VGCC Culinary Arts students

The Culinary Arts program at Vance-Granville Community College is holding a luncheon to raise funds to help send students to competitions through the SkillsUSA organization. The Valentine’s-themed luncheon will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Masonic Home for Children on College Street in Oxford, where the Culinary program is based.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/VGCCvalentine . [Note: the Eventbrite ticketing website works best in the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers.]

“Our Valentine’s SkillsUSA Fundraising Luncheon will give students the opportunity to demonstrate both front and back of the house skills, while operating a refined, up-scale event that showcases their work, not only in the classroom, but the kitchen as well,” said Chef Teresa Davis, the VGCC Culinary Arts program head.

She said the menu is set to include, for starters, a choice of poached shrimp cocktail with lemon horseradish cocktail sauce, beef tartare on potato chips with a whole grain aioli, crab cakes, mini chicken and biscuits with Dijon maple glaze, or romaine salad with a creamy Parmesan dressing; for the main course, a choice of butter poached salmon with lemon and dill, Au Poivre steak, or brown butter gnocchi with spinach and parmesan; for sides, a choice of roasted asparagus bacon bundles, roasted Brussels sprouts with candied pecans and cranberries, cheesy scalloped potatoes, or creamy grits with roasted corn; and for dessert, a choice of assorted cupcakes, assorted chocolates or chocolate-dipped strawberries.

is a partnership of secondary and post-secondary students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. Among the benefits to VGCC students are opportunities to participate in competitions, which are designed by industry experts and showcase the nation’s top career and technical education students.

In 2016, Culinary Arts student Dustin Gregory of Oxford won a statewide competition and became the first student from VGCC to take part in a national SkillsUSA contest . Several local donors and the US Foods company made donations to help sponsor his trip to the national conference.

For more information about the Culinary Arts program , contact Chef Teresa Davis at davist@vgcc.edu or (919) 690-0312.

 

Above: Diners enjoy lunch served by VGCC Culinary students at the Vanguard Cafe.