Students compete in annual beef cook-off

RUSSELLVILLE — The annual Franklin County Cattlemen’s beef cookoff took place recently at Triple H Barn with students from Russellville, Red Bay, Belgreen and Phil Campbell competing in Junior and Senior divisions.

First-place winners in both divisions advance to the state beef cook-off April 10.

Wyatt Barnett, a freshman at Belgreen High, won first place in the Junior Division with beef short ribs.

Barnett said he enjoyed trying a new take on short ribs. “I made it at home a couple of times and made changes to improve it,” he said.

Mimi Wood, the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Belgreen High, said students prepared dishes in class and received feedback before the competition.

“They all worked hard and really got involved in the process,” she said.

Belgreen students took all three places in the Junior Division and earned second place in the Senior Division.

Sadie Hill, a senior at Phil Campbell High, won first place in the Senior Division with Italian beef sandwiches.

Aleah Harris, the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Phil Campbell High, said Hill’s dish stood out because it was different from the others.

“She put a lot of effort into the presentation, and it really showed,” Harris said.

Harris brought three students for the Senior Division and three for the Junior Division.

Other winners included Lindey Boyd of Belgreen High in second place in the Senior Division and Lola Mays, a student at Phil Campbell High, in third place for the Senior Division.

In the Junior Division, Abigail Wood and Emma Crowell, both from Belgreen High, took second and third place.

Caleb Beason, a member of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association, said student efforts from the competition are to be commended.

“They really prioritized the appearance of their dishes and the way they presented themselves,” Beason said.

Rebecca Stewart, one of the judges, said students submitted recipes with photos and impressed the judges with both flavor and presentation.

“These events build real-world cooking skills and safe food handling while helping students think critically and build their confidence,” Stewart said.