Magnolia Middle School & Smyrna High School Win the Lerner College Culinary Challenge

The 2026 Lerner College Challenge at the Delaware Educators Rising State Leadership Conference, hosted in partnership with the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business and Economics and supported by the Delaware Restaurant Foundation and Delaware Teacher Academy Foundation, showcased the strength, skill, and professionalism of Delaware’s middle and high school culinary programs. Designed as an authentic, postsecondary-connected competitive experience, the challenge required students to execute under pressure while meeting industry-level standards in culinary technique, food safety, presentation, cost awareness, teamwork, and professionalism.

Students competed in two divisions, the Sunrise Showdown (Middle School) and the Taste of Triumph Challenge (High School), demonstrating not only creativity and flavor, but strategic planning, time management, sanitation protocols, and polished judge presentations. Participants worked within structured timelines and were evaluated using criteria aligned to hospitality and business standards, reinforcing the seamless connection between secondary CTE pathways and postsecondary expectations.

🌅 Sunrise Showdown – Middle School Division

🥇 1st Place: Magnolia Middle School

🥈 2nd Place: Gauger-Cobbs Middle School

🥉 3rd Place: Smyrna Middle School

4th Place: Fifer Middle School

🍽 Taste of Triumph Challenge – High School Division

🥇 1st Place: Smyrna High School

🥈 2nd Place: Dover High School

🥉 3rd Place: Cape Henlopen High School

4th Place: Brandywine High School

A special congratulations to Magnolia Middle School, led by Culinary Instructor Melissa Long, and Smyrna High School, led by Culinary Instructor Cynthia Hazewski, whose first-place finishes reflect exceptional instructional leadership and sustained program excellence. Their students demonstrated advanced technical skills, composure under pressure, and the ability to translate classroom learning into high-level execution.

Beyond the competition floor, students toured Lerner College facilities and engaged with faculty and partners, gaining exposure to business, entrepreneurship, and hospitality management pathways. The Lerner College Challenge represents more than a culinary contest, it is a model of Delaware’s integrated Career & Technical Education ecosystem, where middle school exploration, high school specialization, and postsecondary opportunity are intentionally aligned.

Delaware continues to demonstrate that when rigorous instruction meets authentic opportunity, students rise, not only to compete, but to lead.