Frankfort students explore culinary skills at event

This year’s Creative Arts Night provided Frankfort School District 157-C students with A Culinary Experience on April 11 at Grand Prairie Elementary School.

Creative Arts Night: A Culinary Experience was presented by the District 157-C Family School Partnership and organized by Tina Kohler, past FSP president.

“So many kids are watching cake decorating contests and baking shows on TV,” Kohler said in a news release from Frankfort School District 157-C. “I thought, what if we turned this event into a culinary experience and held a cake decorating contest.”

At the event

A total of 66 students participated in a cake decorating contest at the event, with a maximum of nine students per grade level.

In grades where more than nine students signed up to participate, the FSP drew names to determine contestants.

Students each received two round cakes to stack and decorate with white icing and two other colors of their choosing, prepared in piping bags with star and round tips.

The young cake decorators let their creativity shine by making designs like roses, stars, hearts and more on their cakes. Some even wrote their names in icing on the cakes.

Judging and winners

School principals and School Board members Gina Briese, Edie Adamski, Edith Lutz and Larry Kociolek judged the contest based on color combinations, neatness and design.

First-place winners were kindergartener Lukas Chmura, first-grader Molly Langlands, second-grader Julianna Scariano, third-grader Elsie Thomas, fourth-grader Kate Boender, fifth-grader Sophie Banninga, sixth-grader Abby Stabrawa, seventh-grader Madelyn Dryier and eighth-grader Ryan Hussey.

Second-place winners were kindergartener Tyler Chmura, first-grader Emma Michor, second-grader Molly Shanahan, third-grader Lexi Darnell, fourth-grader Audrey Gleason, fifth-grader Paige Osborne, sixth-grader Olivia Baran, seventh-grader Tony Mazziotta and eighth-grader Rudy Gnade.

First-place winners received a 110-piece cake decorating set, and second-place winners received a gift certificate for a free bundlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes.

Demonstrations

In addition to witnessing the cake decorating contest, attendees could view frosting-making demonstrations by Christine Fenlon; cookie-decorating and macaroon-making demonstrations by Julie Kreyenbuehl; fruit centerpiece-making demonstrations by Megan Levy; and tamale-making demonstrations by Laura Maldonado and Cecelia Martinez.

Other demonstrations included how to use cooking tools by Pampered Chef Consultant Gail Hanks; pasta-making demonstrations by Lisa Podlesak; pizza-making demonstrations by Pizza Mia; cake-decorating demonstrations by Farmhouse Academy; and presentations on kitchen safety by the Frankfort Fire Protection District and nutrition by Desiree Lavin.

Donations and fun

Additionally, Berkots donated 600 sugar cookies to the event so every student could decorate cookies, and Jewel donated a $50 gift card to help the FSP purchase items for the event.

“I hope students walk away with a bit more experience on how to make something and that they had fun,” Kohler said in the news release. “The FSP is all about having families come together to learn something but have fun while they’re at it.”