By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Budding chefs had their dishes served up at a New York restaurant after winning the Food and Finance High School's first-ever "Top Future Chef" cooking competition.
Based on TV show "Iron Chef's" concept, the contest aimed to find the Midtown school's best cook by giving students surprise ingredients to use, many of them organically grown at the school.
The winners would be the ones who dealt with the pressure while coming up with the most delectable and restaurant-ready dishes under the pressure.
Winners Lazurus Lynch and Shania Thomas, both juniors, showcased their new dishes at Long Island City restaurant El Ay Si at a fundraiser Tuesday night.
"They're fired up," the school's vice principal Joe Clausi said. "I mean, that's the ultimate goal for an aspiring chef, is to have something that they created on a menu in a restaurant in the city."
Lynch, winner of the culinary competition, created a dish of tilapia that had been home-raised at Food and Finance High School, located at 525 West 50th Street. He served it with an avocado cream and roasted red pepper.
Thomas, winner of the baking contest, created a pastry called an almond cloud, made with fresh almonds, cream and decorative fruit sauces.
Both dishes will be served at the restaurant throughout the year, and proceeds from the dishes will be put towards the students' college scholarship funds.
The contest, and the exposure through the restauarant, is an example of how real-life experience is invaluable for the students, Clausi said.
"It put a lot of pressure on them," he said. "It gave them a focus that they could really delve into."
The competitive aspect of the challenge was also really fun for them, he added.
"It does create a lot of hype with the kids to have them compete against each other," Clausi said. "There's a lot of bragging going on."
