Roastin’ Redhounds begin quest for state junior chef title

Though Corbin’s High School’s Roastin’ Redhounds lost the regional matchup against archrival Harlan in the 13^th Region Tournament, they will have their shot at a state championship in the 2019 Kentucky Department of Agriculture Farm to School Junior Chef Competition.

Corbin High School’s Roastin’ Redhounds will begin their question for a state title in the junior chef competition at 9 a.m. when they face off against Montgomery County at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. If the Redhounds win, Coach Jessica Lester’s team of Jesse Parsons, Vincent Warner and Madison Lundy will have to turn right around and cook again in the second round of the 16-team tournament.

The team of Madison Lundy, Vincent Warner and Jesse Parsons will begin the competition at 9 a.m. against Montgomery County.

Corbin, who has finished runner-up the past two years, was one of the teams awarded a place in the 16-team tournament based on it being one of top scorers among the runner-ups in the regional tournament.

Because there aren’t enough schools yet competing to crown a champion in each region, Junior Chef officials use this method to fill out the bracket.

The Redhounds have been slotted in the Ninth Region spot. Should Corbin prevail, the team will be right back in the kitchen, facing off against the winner between Butler and East Jessamine.

“We are really excited but nervous about back-to-back matches,” team members said.

The Redhounds will be preparing their chicken enchilada cauliflower casserole.

Coach Jessica Lester said the team members were challenged to develop the recipe based on other recipes they liked while staying within the requirements that it contain five locally produced ingredients, meet national school lunch program guidelines and be relatively easy for school food service staff to replicate.

The recipe was then submitted to competition officials, and the team is required to follow the recipe as written during preparation.

While they can’t change the recipe, Lester said she has been working with her team on the presentation portion of the competition in the hopes of bringing home the state title.

“We want to make sure the judges hear from each member of the team, and are giving them the opportunity to ask questions,” Lester said. “Hopefully, it will set us apart.”

The semifinals will be held Thursday with the championship match scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday.

More information about the competition, including recipes used in previous competitions, may be found online at https://www.kyagr.com/junior-chef/.