Recently, culinary arts students at Oak Harbor High School spent the better part of a day preparing a three-course meal.

They were creating the meal for a 40-person group of teachers and friends. Not only did the dinner provide some needed practice for a state competition this week, it served as a fund-raiser to help pay for the trip and materials.

“Once they do this for 40 people, then they can handle almost everything,” said Louise Reuble, culinary arts instructor.

The first course was comprised of Coconut Prawn and Prosciutto-wrapped Scallop with Apple Daikon Salad and Pineapple Compote. The main course consisted of Salt-Crusted Lamb Rack served with Balsimic Minted Tomatillos Sauce and Curried Mashed Potatoes. For dessert, the diners enjoyed a Horn of Plenty, which is an almond cookie parfait cup filled with a praline mouse surrounded by assorted fruits.

The young chefs will make dinner today at the 5th Annual Boyd Coffee Hospitality Invitational and Culinary Cup organized by the Washington Restaurant Association Education Foundation.

At the state competition, the Oak Harbor team is competing against teams from more than 30 schools. In addition to the cooking competition, teams will also participate in a Jeopardy-style knowledge bowl about the edible arts.

“Part of the experience is to work together and part of the experience is to be together,” Rueble said of the weekend-long competition.

The team began planning their meal after the Christmas break. A local chef, Scott Fraser, now with They Flying Chef, has been helping the students for several years.

He came in and demonstrated several dishes and the menu evolved from there, Rueble said. During the practice dinner, students worked throughout the day preparing the food. In the minutes leading up to serving time, the future chefs were busy making sure the dining room, which doubles as a classroom, was in order, preparing dessert plates and checking to make sure the dishes were finished.

During serving time, plates were lined up on tables to make it easy for the cooks to serve the individual meals.

For some students the culinary arts program provides a glimpse into a potential career.

“It’s the presentation and the ability to create stuff that was appealing,” said Raheem Maddox, a senior who is participating in the program for the first time. He said he hopes to attend culinary school after he graduates.

Junior Kristin Hermann also enjoys the program and is also contemplating culinary school when she graduates next year. Even though she doesn’t know what she wants to specialize in yet, she especially enjoyed making the desserts for this year’s meal.

Other professional chefs helped the team with their meal.

Mark Ferido, a sous chef at Kasteel Franssen, said he comes back to help each year because he owes the program for getting him into cooking.

Fraser said he sees benefits from the culinary arts program at the high school.

“It’s hard to find that dedication and level of interest,” Fraser said.

The state competition also helps students take the next step in their education. When Oak Harbor High School won the state competition, participating students earned approximately $80,000 worth of scholarships to various culinary schools, Fraser said.

Even though the meal last week provided the culinary team a chance to practice, it also provided a significant fund-raiser. The meal cost $25 per person.

Reuble said that the money raised will not only help pay for the trip to Seattle, but it also helps pay for the food the students use in the competition.