District 150 middle schoolers are getting a taste of culinary professions through a cooking competition this weekend.
Six Peoria Public School fifth graders are advancing to the next round of the Sodexo Future Chefs competition Saturday.
The school district's Sodexo General Manager Mark Streamer says the program gives students early exposure to a viable career -- if that’s what they’re after.
“And if they can learn to love cooking, and learn to love performing and being in competitions, that’s something they can take with them all of their life,” Streamer said.
Streamer says during the competition, each fifth grader will be paired with a high school mentor from Woodruff Career and Technical Center's culinary arts Program.
The public is invited to attend and sample the students’ entries. The Future Chef competition is Saturday at Lincoln K-8 from 8am - 12pm.
WCTC's restaurant management team placed third in the state at a competition in Chicago last month. The culinary team placed seventh. Ten WCTC Culinary Arts students -- made up of students from Richwoods High School, Manual Academy, Peoria High School and the Knoxville Center for Student Success -- competed in the Pro Start competition on Feb. 6.