What a flippin’ Tuesday!
In an annual Shrove Tuesday tradition that has spanned many years at Whitefriars College, the VCE Vocational Major Year 12 Students were tasked with creating their own magical pancake recipe from scratch with a Master-teacher-chef twist!
Just like the infamous team service challenges, the students had a panicked start to the morning. Each group had a very tight budget of $15, which had to cover all their ingredients from the pancake recipe to the toppings. From spending too much time deciding on toppings, to going over-budget, there was a hive of action and excitement, yet a sense of nervousness as the teams faced harsh critique and judgement from the panel.
Once the teams returned from shopping, the clock was ticking, and the pressure was palpable as our Year 12s sifted, whisked and poured all their ingredients to make the ultimate golden-brown pancake – soft on the inside yet slightly crisp on the outside.
Session 3 arrived, and the countdown was on. Our incredibly experienced teacher judging team arrived, hungry for their share of pancakes. By this time, the food technology kitchen was filled with the smell of melted butter, vanilla extract, chocolate, strawberries and all the wonderful smells of a Sunday morning breakfast. The students were eager to show off their talents.
Our judging panel tried each pancake for its presentation and taste and gave each group a total score out of 10. The room fell silent as each teacher judge delicately ate their pancake, and carefully analysed it for presentation and flare. Was the pancake with Nutella better than the pancake topped with ice-cream? Was the under-ripe banana worth putting on the plate? Plenty of deliberations were held, even a few re-tastings to determine the true winner. It was fair to say that as lunch approached, the judges were incredibly pleased (and full) from all the amazing pancakes.
Congratulations to Kai Malley, Benjamin Waddy and Lachlan Radford on their winning pancake, which was described by the judges as “light, fluffy, yet slightly crispy on the outside”!
Thank you to our judging panel of Ms Stephanie Dekazos (Learning Leader – VCE Vocational Major), Ms Maria Ciavarella, Mr Pierce Rooney, Mr Jason Savage, Mr Michael Johnson and Mr Kevin Nguyen who all had the incredibly hard task of choosing a winner. In addition, thank you to Mr Evan Smeed for his work in arranging the shopping trip at the beginning of the day.
What will the team cook up next?
Mr Kevin Nguyen and Ms Stephanie Dekazos
VCE VM Senior Personal Development Skills Teachers
