的 unveiling of the mystery ingredients—chicken breasts, bacon, dried cranberries and jalapeno-flavored potato chips—marked the start of the second annual Grumpy’s Sandwich Challenge held at 蒙哥马利县社区学院’s Pottstown校园 10月10日晚上. 12.

MCCC的 Culinary 艺术 students had only 45 minutes to create the best-tasting sandwich using the mystery ingredients, as well as any pantry staples, including tomatoes, 生菜、洋葱、香草、奶酪和各种面包.

Within minutes, the aroma of bacon sizzling, and the chopping sounds of busy knives 随着学生们开始工作，南厅的空气中充满了欢快的气氛.

“的 annual competition allows students to not only think quickly on their feet but being creative with ingredients and cooking techniques that they learned in the classroom,” 酒店管理学院院长Karima Roepel说. “这种情境体验 promotes teamwork by incorporating real-life situations and adaptations in a fun way.”

Four teams of two students competed for the coveted prizes of earning a spot on Grumpy’s menu for a year, a free course at MCCC的 好客研究所, a cash prize and culinary 不爽的东西. All participants received t-shirts, aprons and hats and the experience 在时间竞争的压力下烹饪.

Sheila and Gene Dugan, the owners of Grumpy’s Handcarved Sandwiches, 137 E. 大街上, Pottstown, will donate $2 from the purchase of the winning sandwich at their restaurant during the next year to MCCC的 Pottstown校园 Excellence Fund.

的 teams included Team 1, “的 法棍面包旅,” with Nikki Leone, of Audubon, and 福克罗夫特的奥斯汀·桑德斯. 她拥有食品科学学士学位 Penn State University, is working on her associate’s degree in Baking & 糕点. 她的 goal is to open a sustainable bakery in the next seven years. 桑德斯正在研究 his associate’s degree in Culinary 艺术 and wants to work as a private chief and travel 世界各地.

Team 2, “的 美味的肚子,” included Ashaleea Walker, of Pottstown, and 莎拉·巴格利, 埃尔金斯公园. 沃克正在攻读烘焙副学士学位 & 糕点, 希望有一天能拥有自己的糕点车. 巴格利开始了她的律师之路 我将在本学期获得烹饪艺术学位. 她希望开一家餐厅，餐车或者 小酒馆.

Team 3, “Shake and Bake,” included Aiden Rodriguez, of Horsham, and Michael Mentzer, 利默里克. Rodriguez says he simply loves to cook, and he has been in the kitchen 从他很小的时候就开始了. Mentzer also plans to earn his associate’s degree in Culinary 艺术.

Team 4, “Eats Everything,” included Carlisle Zeiger, of Lansdale, and Arieanna Kiefer, 的Souderton. Zeiger aims to be a pastry chef, and Keifer wants to have her own bakery 在获得烘焙副学士学位后 & 糕点.

Throughout 竞争的加剧, emcee Matt Porter, Senior Producer and Technical 服务 Manager, reported on the status of the sandwich building and reminded the students 剩下的时间. 学生 from MCCC的 Mass Media Production classes video-recorded 竞争的加剧.

As the clock ticked down, students made the finishing touches to their sandwiches, adding garnishes and sauces and carefully arranging them on the plates to impress 法官.

This year, Donald Lyons, MCCC Board of Trustees member; Dr. 蔡斯威特，MCCC副 President of Academic Affairs and Provost; and Phil Needles, Vice President of Engagement 和学生体验担任评委. 他们对每个三明治的外观进行评估， taste and creativity in the use of secret ingredients, grading on a scale of 1 through 5. 得分最多的三明治获胜.

After they finished their assessments, Shavelle Hunter, MCCC Faculty Diversity Fellow/Accounting, tallied the scores and announced the winning team: 的 美味的肚子. 在拥抱和 a few tears of joy, Walker and Bagley decided they would name their winning sandwich, “甜蜜的小鸡.”

“这真是难以置信，”沃克谈到获胜时说. “我以为我把鸡弄乱了， 但我欣喜若狂，简直欣喜若狂.”

巴格利说:“我真的很兴奋，从来没有想到会这样。. “这是我的第一个学期 我才上了几周的课.”

的ir culinary masterpiece is a jalapeño-crusted chicken breast topped with crispy bacon, pepper jack cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato and a sauce made of Dijon mustard, 无花果酱和蔓越莓干. 他们把它放在烤面包上，并配上装饰 腌黄瓜.

的 community can meet the winning students and taste the “甜蜜的小鸡” sandwich during 10月9日星期四，不爽猫的开放日活动. 从6点到8点.m.

This is the second Sandwich Challenge at MCCC sponsored by the Dugans. 他们举办了 2022年三明治挑战赛，作为MCCC第25届活动的一部分 周年庆典 在其波茨敦校区. 从获奖三明治的收益中，甜蜜 & 萨维尔鲑鱼，杜根夫妇给了中冶公司一张200美元的支票.

MCCC的 好客研究所 is the region’s home for innovative, affordable culinary arts education and training, as well as non-credit culinary enthusiast and professional development course offerings. Construction is currently underway for a new 24,000-plus square-foot 好客研究所 位于中冶蓝铃校区. 的 新建筑 will include special laboratories for chocolate, pasta and fermentation, as well as a student-operated restaurant, and is scheduled to open in fall 2024.