On Monday, March 11, students in Middlesex Community College’s Culinary Arts program flexed their skills at this year’s “Dining Around Dracut” hosted by the Dracut Rotary Club. Students prepared over 200 desserts and were awarded Overall Best Presentation for the event out of approximately 40 participants.
“The event was a delightful celebration of food, community and creativity,” said Pingping Zhu, MCC Culinary Arts Student, of Bedford. “We showcased our culinary skills by preparing a unique and visually appealing dessert and aimed to create an unforgettable culinary experience for the attendees. Winning the award for Overall Best Presentation was a moment of pride and joy. It validated our hard work, attention to detail, and passion for culinary arts.”
Zhu believes participating in events such as Dining Around Dracut allows her and her classmates to connect with and learn from industry professionals and demonstrate their creativity and culinary expertise with people who appreciate food.
In MCC’s program, Zhu is able to turn her passion for “flavors, textures and the magic of transforming ingredients into memorable dishes,” into a career. As she hopes to open her own bakery after graduating from MCC, Zhu is grateful for all of the hands-on experience she has received in the culinary arts program.
“We showcased our culinary skills by preparing a unique and visually appealing dessert and aimed to create an unforgettable culinary experience for the attendees. Winning the award for Overall Best Presentation was a moment of pride and joy. It validated our hard work, attention to detail, and passion for culinary arts.” - Pingping Zhu, MCC Student
For MCC Culinary Arts student Jantana Briggs, of Lowell, participating in the event was a chance to see opportunities that are available in the field. Hoping to also one day open a café or bakery, Briggs appreciated meeting people to talk about what the college has to offer, as well as get a strong sense of the industry.
“It is the best way for students to learn more about how the real-life culinary arts works and to help students find a job,” Briggs said. “When we won, we were so happy, excited and proud of our selves to be a part of the first time the college attended this event.”
Calling the event a “big hit,” MCC’s Hospitality & Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Kim Morrissey credits the college’s new Culinary Lab on the Lowell campus for students being able to prepare so many desserts. The popular offerings included tiramisu, chocolate eclairs, biscotti, profiteroles and swan cream puffs.
“Having our own space allows us the freedom to prepare food outside of our scheduled class times for these kinds of events,” Morrissey said. “Our culinary students really stepped up to volunteer their time for this event, and truly represented MCC at its best.”
According to Morrissey, the students “truly represented MCC at its best” as they volunteered and met guests with their own MCC experiences. Believing MCC left a positive impression at their first time at the event, Dracut Rotarian Lee Ouellette is already looking forward to what the college will bring next year.
“Members of the Dracut Rotary Club were very happy to have MCC’s culinary team join us this year,” Ouellette said. “After viewing all participants in Dining Around Dracut, we all agreed that MCC was by far the most impressive display thus leading them to win the Best Presentation Award.”