Lima Senior culinary students Shaniya Webb, center, and Tavaris Williams, right, smile as they learn their desserts will be featured on The Met’s menu in February. Culinary instructor Lauren Bondrowski, left, joined her students for a contest at the restaurant Wednesday.
Mackenzi Klemann | The Lima News
LIMA — Three desserts crafted by Lima Senior culinary students will be featured at The Met to benefit the high school’s culinary program.
The desserts — a triple lemon blondie with blueberry sauce and white chocolate mousse, a strawberry shortcake with white chocolate buttercream and homemade strawberry jam and a toffee Bundt cake with caramel sauce — were selected by a panel of judges Wednesday at The Met.
It’s a first for restaurant, which is launching a series of Food Network-style culinary contests for high school students to showcase young chefs and support local hospitality programs.
“We have to create spaces where these kids can actually see what they’re doing,” said Rob Nelson, owner of The Met.
Winners Shaniya Webb and Tavaris Williams, both juniors at Lima Senior, will have their desserts featured on the restaurant’s menu starting next week.
The duo will then personally deliver their desserts to customers on Valentine’s Day weekend so “they can see our patron’s face,” said Nelson, who hopes the contest will boost confidence and inspire hospitality students like Webb and Williams to stay and work for downtown Lima restaurants after graduation.
A portion of proceeds will be donated back to Lima Senior’s culinary program, a two-year technical program at the high school led by Lauren Bondrowski, former executive chef for The Met.
“If you want to believe you can have a career in hospitality, you have to see it,” Nelson said.
