The Bonney Lake High School (BLHS) culinary team has had a remarkable winning streak, recently clinching victory at the 2025 ProStart Invitational on March 1 at Renton Technical College. The team, led by Chef/Teacher Kahale Ahina, showcased their culinary prowess and teamwork by preparing a sablefish dish under pressure, impressing a panel of industry professionals. The students crafted a menu concept, analyzed costs, set prices, and presented and executed the dish precisely, simulating a professional restaurant environment. Not only did they complete the proper execution of the dish, they won the entire competition!
What was the winning plate? A Miso Glazed Sablefish with an apple fennel slaw and pickled carrot. Their win at this prestigious event earned them a spot in the National ProStart Invitational (NPSI) on May 2-4. The team will be taking this recipe all the way to Baltimore, MD, the site of the 2025 Finals, courtesy of Jamestown Seafoodʻs generous donations and commitment to drop ship fresh sablefish for the ProStart Finals.
ProStart winning plate of miso-glazed sablefish with apple fennel slaw and pickled carrot. Photo by Kahale Ahina.
Winner, Winner, Another Sablefish Dinner?
This recent success follows another victory for the BLHS team, where they utilized the same key ingredient, sablefish, to secure first place in the High School Division and third place overall at the Washington State Chef Association’s “Bite of Apprentice” competition on November 4, 2024. They competed against 15 other kitchens, including professional restaurants, catering operations, casino kitchens, college-level culinary programs, and two high school teams.
The team’s focus on sablefish, also known as Black Cod, stemmed from IBSS’ Mark and Lisa Tagal’s collaboration with Chef Ahina to introduce the concept of “Merroir” – the influence of environmental factors on seafood flavor – into the culinary curriculum. This is part of an aquaculture literacy grant funded by eeBLUE/NAAEE. The program titled “Tide to Table, Farm to Food: The Merroir of Ocean-Farmed Seafood” was presented by Mark and Lisa as a way to educate the students on factors influencing ocean-farmed seafoodʻs flavor and practical ways to incorporate these ingredients into meal or menu planning. Through presentations, discussions, and visits to local ocean farming operations, BLHS students gained a deeper understanding of sustainable seafood practices, along with how Merroir contributes to the unique characteristics of seafood, specifically sablefish.
Mark spoke about the factors that give this seafood its unique characteristics in his merroir talk. eeBLUE industry partner Jamestown Seafoods is a contributor to this grant. Photo by Lisa Tagal.
