Carson culinary team places in top 10

A good cut of ostrich meat isn't easy to find.

Five Carson High School culinary students realized that when the ostrich meat they brought along to the national competition in Charlotte, N.C., in coolers was determined unfit by the judges.

"We got into the hotel room and we started calling every grocery store we could find," said teacher Penny Reynolds. "Of course, no one has ostrich. So we started calling higher-end restaurants."

In the end, the team found The Fig Tree Restaurant, where they were offered a cut of ostrich meet for $8 - ecstatic, the team gave them $40.

"Ostrich meat is unique," said Rachel Neitzke, 18, explaining the choice of meat in their menu. "And it is healthier than a lot of other meats. It's also tender when cooked properly. We wanted to make sure that Nevada stood out and caught everyone's eye, which we did."

Enough to land them in the top 10 out of 58,000 students nationwide completing in the ProStart competition.

"Oh my goodness, it's amazing to place in the top 10. Going through what we went through to get to that point and basically only having three to four weeks of teamwork," Neitzke said. "That's just so exciting."

From the start, last-minute problems plagued Carson High School's culinary arts team. Soon after being declared state winners in mid-March - the first state win ever for Carson High - two team members were removed for alleged involvement in graffiti in the school district.

Two new members replaced them. Although they trained together for less than a month, Reynolds declared the new team had more energy and commitment than ever before.

After a Sunday evening reception to meet students from 32 other teams, the team competed Monday with TV cameras from CNN and the Food Network buzzing around.

"I was oblivious," said Neitzke of all the chaos. "I was in my zone and doing what needed to be done."

They finished within the nick of the time. When they walked off stage they found Reynolds with tears in her eyes.

"When we saw that, I knew that we did good," Neitzke said.

On Tuesday the students found out they made the top 10. Exact results are not released for teams in sixth through 10th place.

The team returned to Carson City early Friday morning.

"I have never felt so proud in my life - ever - on anything I've ever done," Reynolds said.

The students will receive partial scholarships to culinary schools of their choice. Neitzke, who is attending Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., in the fall, will use her scholarship money there.

"I've learned so much," she said. "I've learned how to show up and have fun and not stress out about stuff like this."

The other culinary students on the team include Jennifer DeRosa, Kelly Taylor, Chris Wear and alternate Whitney Hoote. The team also cheered on the other Nevada state school from Moapa Valley High School near Las Vegas, which took fifth place.

"The students felt proud that they found a solution to a huge problem," Reynolds said. "If we had not found a solution, I don't know what would have happened."

• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.