FROM STAFF REPORTS

Local students recently filled the air with the tempting aroma of pineapple cheesecake and marinated pork loin as they battled for the top prize in the Shelby County Schools cook-off event at Thompson High School.

The event, which was sponsored by Family, Career and Community leaders of America, featured beef, pork and dairy categories for middle- and high-school students. The Alabama Farmers’ Association and the Cattlewomen’s Association provided prize money for the winners.

Domino’s Pizza and Jim ‘N Nick’s Barbecue also provided coupons to the students and judges.

Although the pork and dairy categories were for county competition, the first-place finishers in the beef categories will go on to compete in the statewide cook-off in January.

In the middle school pork category, Montevallo Middle School student Pate Edwards took home first place with his hosin marinated pork loin, Helena Middle School student Hayden Ragsdale won second place with his juicy pork tenderloin and Carlos Martinez, of Riverchase Middle School, took home the bronze with his pineapple pork.

In the middle school dairy category, Maggie Beck of Oak Mountain Middle School won first place with her tres leches cake, Helena Middle School student Beth Anne Brown won silver with her pumpkin mousse flutes and Kelsie Sanders of Montevallo Middle School won third place with her sour cream harvest cake with cream cheese frosting.

Montevallo Middle School student Chloe Bertschinger won the middle school beef category with her pineapple soy marinated flank steak, Meagan Wesson of Chelsea Middle School took home second place with her succulent braised beef and Taylor Shiver of Oak Mountain Middle School won third place with her Mexican casserole.

In the high school pork division, Shelby County School of Technology student Amber Rouse won the gold with her pork tenderloin with jezebel sauce, Linley Jones of Oak Mountain High School took home second place with her Asian pork skewers with jasmine rice timbales and Susan Darby of THS won third with pork tenderloin extreme.

In the high school dairy category, Jason Gardner of THS won first place with his tres leches cake, Jones won second place with her praline ice cream cupcakes and Emily Anderson of Pelham High School won third place with her Nanna’s pineapple cheesecake.

Daniel Phillips of the SCSOT won the high school beef category with his original Philadelphia cheese steak, Tyler Culberson of OMHS won second place with his steak au poivre and Katherine Drake of THS won third place with her taco soup.