Tomorrow's culinary stars compete for Education Fund's Top Chef title

The Education Fund, headquartered in Miami Lakes, celebrates the culinary dreams and ambitions of high school and middle school students at the 2019 Taste of Education presented by Sapoznik Insurance on Wednesday, February 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way in Miami.
Taste of Education showcases the gastronomic talents of students from 17 culinary programs in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Students competing in 30 teams will prepare gourmet bites and vie for $20,000 in top prizes.
The judges, top local chefs and hospitality executives, will determine the winning teams. This year’s culinary panel features celebrity chefs Ralph Pagano, Allen Susser, André Bienvenu, Letty Alvarez, Dayanny De La Cruz, Ingrid Hoffmann, Paula DaSilva and Max Santiago. Each team will present their dish and make their pitch, hoping to wow the judges with their skills and presentations.
Guests will feast on the students’ creations, have an opportunity to “take a selfie with a chef” and enjoy mini-installations including walking through a food forest. On the menu is an array of dishes slated to delight the palate: Oysters rockefeller; shrimp and grits; ceviche; jerk cranberry meatballs and bbq sliders to name a few.
“A Taste of Education gives high school culinary students a taste of the real world. They get a chance to compete before some of the biggest names in South Florida’s culinary and hospitality industry,” said Linda Lecht, president of the Education Fund. “The student chefs also get an amazing career experience as they quickly plate, offer and explain their dish to each of the 500+ guests in order to compete for the People’s Choice Award.”
Tickets are $125 per person. Purchase tickets at EducationFund.org.  Sponsorships are available. 
Three schools from the northwest Miami-Dade County area are participating including Miami Lakes Educational Center, Hialeah Senior High and Lake Stevens Middle School.