THE CHALKBOARD: Chefs of tomorrow meet chefs of today

Casa Grande High was paired with chef Gabriel Nahas from Bacchus Restaurant of the Double Tree Hotel in Rohnert Park at the Wine Country Chefs of Tomorrow event. This exciting event partners high school culinary arts programs with Sonoma County lodging chefs for an entertaining evening fired up with a tasty appetizer competition and an amazing auction filled with travel opportunities. Teams of students and executive chefs conceive, source and prepare their appetizers. The theme, highlighting some local favorites, was “Rocky and Clo to the Rescue.” Casa Grande students had to prepare dishes that showcased Clover Stornetta Farms’ Greek yogurt and Petaluma Poultry chicken. “We spent months working on recipes, and creating different culinary creations before we arrived at a Middle Eastern-inspired menu,” shares Casa’s culinary arts teacher Pam Gutierrez. “Everything was made from scratch, and the students had to describe the menu with great detail as to the techniques, inspiration and ingredients as part of the judges’ scoring rubric. Also, we had to connect Rocky and Clo to the Rescue through a superhero theme tied to our Middle Eastern menu and decor. We achieved this by creating a painting that shows Rocky and Clo as superheroes and added the tag line. ‘Rocky and Clo to the Rescue, let our superhero powers take you to exotic places,’?” said Gutierrez. The local team took home the title and grand prize package of 10 tickets to see Alton Brown in May at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, and be featured on the Good Food Hour Show with chef John Ash and Steve Garner on KSRO Radio.

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Let the games begin. Last Sunday, the Wilson School PTA sponsored a Mothers vs. Sons Kickball Game. The activities started with a barbecue lunch cooked by a group of Wilson Wildcat Dads. The game featured 28 boys challenging their Moms to a good old-fashioned battle of playground athletics. It was a record turnout on a sunny, but windy, day, reports principal Eric Hoppes. “The wind played havoc with the red bouncy ball used as the official game ball. After two rounds of kicking and running, the unofficial score was Moms 21 and Boys 20. A close game, but a good one for Moms to win since they pack their boys’ lunches,” according to Hoppes. All walked away winners as everyone got to celebrate with refreshing root beer floats.

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The Petaluma Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program hosted its annual Education Day last week. The day consisted of local business leaders and community members joining a day-long tour of Petaluma area schools including Kenilworth Junior High, Corona Creek Elementary, Casa Grande High, McKinley Elementary, Petaluma High Wildlife Museum, Petaluma Junior High and the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus. The program offered a panel discussion with Petaluma City Schools Superintendent Gary Callahan, Waugh School District’s Superintendent Rebecca Rosales (also principal at Corona Creek Elementary), Principal Jorge Arvizu from Loma Vista Dual Immersion Academy and the Old Adobe Union School District, along with Melinda Susan representing the South County Consortium. The day showcased the diversity of learning environments and campus programs, demonstrating how local education has something to offer every student.

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More than 350 elementary and middle school students in grades four through eight will take part in the Sonoma County Robotics Challenge on May 7. The event is the culmination of months of work by students and incorporates hands-on learning with science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), according to the Sonoma County Office of Education. This year, Petaluma will be well represented by Petaluma Kenilworth Junior High, Meadow Elementary, Wilson Elementary, La Tercera Elementary and Petaluma Accelerated Charter School at McKinley Elementary. Student teams design and program robots to carry out challenges ranging from off-road racing to mini golf. SCOE notes 26 schools will compete in seven events that require skill in robot design and programming. Other events include: Capture the Flag, Sumo, Off-Road Racing, Free-Form Challenge, Drag Racing and Ping Pong Ball Handoff. More information on the specific challenges is available at scoe.org/robotics. The Sonoma County Office of Education partnered with local schools and the Sonoma County Economic Development Board to create this program, which is now in its 14th year. Since its inception, the Robotics Challenge has reached more than 110 local elementary and middle schools, involving more 3,000 students and 175 teachers.

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(Maureen Highland is a Petaluma mother and executive director for the Petaluma Educational Foundation. She can be reached at schools@argus courier.com)