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June 6, 2019Cobleskill Duo to Graduate as Two-time State Champions
Two years and two state championships. Seniors Alexia Torres and Katlynn Manchester will be forever linked for their winning foray into the ProStart culinary competitions in 2018 and 2019.
The duo, who attend Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical School from the Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District, are graduating on Wednesday, June 12 as two-time state champions and among the best high school cooks in the country, securing a 9th place finish at ProStart nationals in 2018 and an 11th place finish in 2019. Both times, they competed against the top 50 teams in the nation. The graduation ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School.
In 2018, they were part of a four-student team that also included Jovan Afzali of Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Devlan Matthews of Schoharie and this year they were joined in the competition by Logan Stephens from Middleburgh.
While forever linked by their culinary expertise in high school, the Torres-Manchester team have different plans for the future. Torres is heading to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the fall to pursue a four-year culinary degree while Manchester is still trying to determine her future and will, in the meantime, work on the family farm in Richmondville.
“When we competed at the CIA in 2018, we walked around and it was just really comfortable. It was all about cooking and everyone had a common interest – it wasn’t like a university with a lot of different majors. It was all about cooking,” Torres said.
Manchester, who was convinced to pursue a culinary program at BOCES by Torres, said she still hasn’t decided where her future will take her.
“I am either going to pursue culinary or something with farming. Either way, I will always have the culinary skills I have learned here,” she said.
For Torres, cooking has been a lifelong passion. Her family has a restaurant in Cobleskill and she also works in a fast food establishment.
“Coming to BOCES taught me a different way of doing things and how things are supposed to be done. It has definitely opened my eyes,” she said. “BOCES gave me the professional knowledge and experience needed to get my foot in the industry.”
Both credit their ProStart experiences and lessons at BOCES with making them grow and preparing them for life after high school.
“Taking part in ProStart has given me the light I needed to know for sure this is what I want. I am ready to work hard until I am one of the best and then open my own restaurant and make bank,” said Torres.
