Students cook up dishes for AC Restaurant Week

ATLANTIC CITY (WPVI) -- Some Atlantic City students put their culinary skills to the test Tuesday afternoon in a cooking competition.

The Pre-Chef Grand Prix Student Cooking Competition saw seven teams of four students from Atlantic Cape Community College's Academy of Culinary Arts compete against one another and the clock to prepare and present a three-course dinner menu that meets or exceeds the value of the price point for dinners at Atlantic City's Restaurant Week next month.

"They get to learn costing and that's so important in the restaurant industry today so that's one of the things they're challenged with coming up with a meal for $33.15," Larry Sieg, CRDA Director of Marketing, said.

Students say the biggest challenge is timing.

"Timing and keeping order in your head as you go cause you got a lot things racing and it always comes down to the last second, last minute," culinary student Itka Drinkard.

The winners will join more than a dozen restaurants that will be showcasing their best menus before Restaurant Week.

The judges are looking for the best presentation and taste.

The team with the winning menu will have samples of its dinner served up at a pre-Restaurant Week event at the Claridge Hotel on February 24th.