The menu is set and the food is prepared.
A local culinary team on Friday morning will serve breakfast at the Colorado State Capitol.
The chefs are all students at Adams City High School in Adams 14 School District.
“We’ve been preparing for it all week,” said Joseff Rodriguez, a senior at the school. “We’re expecting 150. Could be more, could be less – we’re prepared for either!”
Rodriguez and his classmates are part of ProStart, a career and technical education program that focuses on culinary arts and management. In 2019, the team took first place in the ProStart Invitational – a state-wide competition against other high schools.
The students on Friday will serve a boxed meal of quiche with sundried tomatoes and leeks, with a citrus and honey yogurt with a mixed berry compote on the side. After serving breakfast, lawmakers will honor the students for their achievements.
“We’re really going to be able to showcase some of their abilities we’ve been working on all year long,” said Jessica Dilullo, executive chef of the ProStart program at Adams City High. “They’re my little ducklings, so I’m very excited that they’re given this opportunity!”
Dilullo says the program allows students to explore the culinary arts as a possible career. Through partnerships within the culinary industry, as well as options for college credits, ProStart gives students real-world experience and exposure.
“It’s to give them a taste of what this industry really entails, and see if it’s something they want to pursue in the future,” she said.
The 2019 competition victory gave students thousands of dollars in scholarship opportunities. Rodriguez plans to use some of his scholarship money to attend Johnson and Wales University in Denver next year, where he plans to study Hotel and Resort Management.
But first, he has to get through a breakfast banquet at the state capitol.
“I’m more intimidated that I’m going to have to speak in front of everybody,” he laughed. “I’m not intimated about the fact that we’re cooking, because I know all our food is good. We practice food safety and sanitation, so all our stuff is ‘to a ‘T.'"
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