As most University of Northern Colorado students were preparing prepare for their final exams by studying notes, reading textbooks and making flashcards, one class was focusing on perfecting their cooking skills and creating menus.  
 
The Food Preparation and Preservation Techniques class (ENST 178) within the Environmental and Sustainability Studies program is a hands-on course that’s designed to introduce basic culinary and food preservation techniques for the everyday cook. The course gives students practical knowledge of designing a simple, balanced menu utilizing locally grown vegetable. The goal is for students to feel confident in the kitchen and become more self-sufficient in making decisions about their diets.
 
For the final exam, students participated in a cook-off held on Monday, Dec. 3, in Gunter Hall Room 2460 in the Dietetics Food Lab. Separated into small groups, the students created a three-course meal including an appetizer, entrée and dessert and received $35 for purchasing ingredients.  

 Tourism and Hospitality major Griffin Shreves was part of a group that made a thin-crust seafood pizza with a white sauce. “The final meal was cool because we got to set up the meal ourselves, everything prior was premade for us but our final was great because we got to make everything and choose our own recipe” said shreves.
 
The students were judged on their ability to cook a practical meal that is also applicable for different demographics. The panel of judges will include,  Hata, Assistant Instructor, Ian Mickells, as well as a selection of special guest judges including, Associate Professor, HESAL, Leadership Policy & Development Matthew Birnbaum, Alex Sandoval and Jayme Schledewitzall.