PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Our College and Career Technical Institute students continue to impress us and take the cake! Chef DeShundra Beasley's first-year culinary students took home 'Best Dessert' at the Mississippi Army National Guard's State MRE Cookoff. 

Chefs Trenadi Gay, Breland Poole, Johnathan Byrd, Dereon Allen and Hayden Sharp were selected to compete. They were tasked with making an elevated appetizer, entree and dessert with an MRE in 70 minutes. The culinary students were only allowed to use 10 extra ingredients for the entire meal. 

Chef Beasley says the judges were impressed with the CCTI cohort, especially when they learned all were only in their first year of the culinary program. They were competing against mostly second- and third-year students from across the state. During the competition, the CCTI chefs made their own stock, cheese sauce, naan and whipped cream from scratch! 

They placed 4th overall, but this is just the first visit to this unique cookoff! Can't wait to see they accomplish in the future.