The third annual BrewLäsh at SCTCC was a night of firsts: wine tasting was offered for the first time, the first time the event raised more than $40,000, and a first-place win for Culinary students Colin Lerum and Mackenzie Frederick with their Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Hotdish.
BrewLäsh, which was held on Oct. 24, is a fundraiser for St. Cloud Technical & Community College educational needs and scholarships. It pairs SCTCC Culinary student-created hotdishes with area breweries’ beers, ciders, and wines.
This year, 11 student teams created hotdishes for the event, along with instructor Chef Jay serving last year’s winning hotdish, the Mexicali Hashbrown Taco Hotdish.
“It was really fun watching all the smiles on people’s faces trying all the hotdishes,” said 2019 winner Colin Lerum of Blooming Prairie.
Attendees at BrewLäsh had the opportunity to sample all the hotdishes and vote for their favorite; the Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Hotdish was the clear winner for 2019.
Winner Mackenzie Frederick, from Big Lake, had a lot of fun at the event. “Seeing everyone coming up was really fun. Everyone said tator tots and bacon, can’t go wrong with that,” she explained.
“BrewLäsh gives the students a chance to be creative with their hotdish and work face-to-face with the public,” said Culinary instructor Chef Jay Thomas. “It also gives them a sense of urgency and what to expect in the kitchen after they graduate.”
This isn’t just a great experience for SCTCC’s Culinary program. All the programs at SCTCC and students benefit from BrewLäsh.
“This year we exceeded $40,000 raised at BrewLäsh, which is the most we’ve ever raised at this event. This brings our total money raised to more than $100,000 for student scholarships and program needs,” said Foundation Director Arlene Williams.
The money raised supports program needs like tools, uniforms, software, computers, equipment, simulators, and more. In addition to program needs, students benefit from scholarship dollars that are awarded every semester.
“BrewLäsh scholarships allow SCTCC to award dollars to deserving students across all SCTCC programs as needed,” added Williams.
As of fall semester 2019, 19 SCTCC students have received BrewLäsh scholarships from funds raised at the event. Save the date for next year’s BrewLäsh, which will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22