A group of nine Culinary Arts students from the Potomac Job Corps Center, together with the Culinary Arts Instructor, Chef William Tarell Danley (Chef Tee), enjoyed a friendly, yet tense competition between various food industry leaders at the International Fiery Foods Challenge. The event was held at the Convention Center on March 12, 2011. The Culinary Stage showcased Culinary Demonstrations by local restaurants, Embassy Chefs, and Culinary Arts schools.  The host of the Travel Channel’s Taste of America, Mark DeCarlo was the renown host of this event.

The Fiery Foods Challenge was a fun and educational event designed to showcase the wonderful world of food with a fiery kick. Challenged Teams were asked to demo a recipe from various cultural backgrounds, adding a fiery kick to spice things up. 

Each team had 30 minutes on stage for their demo, walking attendees through the recipe step by step while explaining its origin and the significance of the ingredients.  Immediately following the demo, attendees received a sample size of the recipe and a printed copy to take home.  Visitors then took the role of the judges as they tested their taste buds and voted for the fieriest food in the International Fiery Foods Challenge.

After the heated discussions in the audience, Mark DeCarlo announced the winner of the International Fiery Foods Challenge — the Potomac Job Corps Center!!!  The audience cheered and applauded while Potomac students received the plaque.

“Few days before the competition, students and I brainstormed on what should be showcased on the stage”, said Chef Tee, the Culinary Arts Instructor of the Potomac Job Corps Center.  “We decided to go with the Habanero Hot Sauce that is perfectly blended with Mango & Pineapple… Obviously the audience appreciated the taste”.

Teams that participated in Saturday’s Fiery Foods Challenge included Sweet Mango Café (Caribbean), Rumba Café (Latin American), Mexico Tourism Board and Belize Tourism Board, Stratford University, and more. Way To Go Potomac!!!