Cooking with Champions:
THE PLAYERS Championship and TPC Sawgrass chefs serve up unique opportunity for Duval County Public Schools culinary arts students with cooking competition
Competition will give winning students opportunity to support TPC Sawgrass culinary team; Finalists announced on Jan. 28th; Competition set for Feb. 8th
WHAT:
This year, THE PLAYERS and TPC Sawgrass have served up an exciting opportunity for local Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) high school students to be a part of the culinary and hospitality experience at THE PLAYERS, through a unique competition, “Cooking with Champions.”
The Culinary Arts programs at several DCPS high schools held their own semi-finals cooking competition to determine its top team who will advance to the final round of the “Cooking with Champions” competition: an in-person, live cook off at F. H. Peterson Academies of Technology on Feb. 8. During this cook off, the final five teams will prepare and cook a recipe that will be served at THE PLAYERS. TPC Sawgrass Senior Executive Chef Azhar Mohammad and PGA TOUR Global Home Chef Director Eric Butcher will judge the three-hour competition to crown a team of “Champions,” who will be granted an exclusive opportunity to support the food and beverage team during THE PLAYERS (March 8-13, 2022).
Local media are invited to join a virtual call on Friday, Jan. 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to hear from Duval County, THE PLAYERS and TPC Sawgrass leadership about how this opportunity came to be, find out which teams will be advancing to the final round and watch as the TPC Sawgrass Chefs unveil the recipe. In addition, a representative from Florida State College at Jacksonville will share an additional, exciting incentive as part of this competition.
WHO:
- Culinary Arts students at Duval County Public Schools
- Dr. Diana L. Greene, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools
- Marsha Oliver, PGA TOUR Vice President of Community and Inclusion
- Jill Fierle, Director of Career and Technical Education, Duval County Public Schools
- Chef Azhar Mohammad, TPC Sawgrass Senior Executive Chef
- Chef Eric Butcher, PGA TOUR Global Home Chef Director
- Socrates Rivers, Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving, Florida State College at Jacksonville Foundation
WHEN:
Friday, Jan. 28
9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Click the following link to join the Teams call:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODQ1ZTRmNTEtNjBlOS00OGEyLWI3Y2UtNDZjYTMyYzdlYWUz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2222414706-f918-4b56-886e-ff651c216622%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22d3821b0d-24d2-4c6f-8025-143a7bb17e56%22%7d
BACKGROUND:
Final preparations are underway to host players, guests and fans at THE PLAYERS Championship 2022 (March 8-13). This is a busy time of year for TPC Sawgrass Senior Executive Chef Azhar Mohammad, PGA TOUR Chef Director Eric Butcher and their culinary teams, as they prepare to host and serve players and guests at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse. During the week of THE PLAYERS, the clubhouse is transformed into a VIP hospitality experience called THE PLAYERS Club, one of the most exclusive and sought-after hospitality experiences in sport and entertainment, featuring hand-crafted food and beverage offerings from renowned chefs across the country and the world.
The Duval County Career and Technical Education Department provides students with opportunities to explore career options in settings that anticipate and address every student’s needs: from guidance and counseling to coursework that incorporates both academic and occupational applications. The mission of the Career and Technical Education Department is to prepare employable, productive citizens who can adapt to a rapidly changing and highly technological global community.
Among the many offerings provided to students through the Career and Technical Education Department, the Culinary Arts program prepares students for college, careers and industry certification(s) leading to a rewarding career in the field of Culinary Arts by gaining hands-on, real-world experience and training and building relationships with business and community partners in the culinary and hospitality professions.
CONTACTS:
Emily Tillo, THE PLAYERS, emilytillo@pgatourhq.com, 904-424-8572
Laureen Ricks, Duval County Public Schools, ricksl@duvalschools.org, 904-861-7818