Ridgefield students compete in ‘Cupcake Wars’

Those who say there’s nothing of value in reality TV might want to reconsider, at least when it comes to finding inspiration in popular TV shows to build skills.

Ridgefield High School students taking Foods 1 and 2 classes had the chance to compete in a “Cupcake Wars” themed challenge last month, a release from the district stated, in an effort to teach valuable skills that could be used in pursuing a career in the food industry.

Stefanie Foster, family and consumer science teacher at Ridgefield High School, had students in her Foods 1 and 2 classes learning about the cost of goods sold, preparing a presentation and pitch to potential customers, being creative and imaginative and working together as part of a team, the release stated, settling on a program based on the popular reality show “Cupcake Wars.”

In each episode of the show there is generally a theme that contestants much follow, and Ridgefield’s take was no different. "The Movies" and “Winter” were the themes Foster created for her Foods 1 and Foods 2 class, respectively, with students responsible for interpreting the theme into cupcakes they would create and present to customers.

Though the Foods 1 class focused on cupcakes, Foods 2 was a full-sized cake competition based on “Cupcake Wars” spinoff, simply known as “Cake Wars.”

Recipe research, nutritional and cost analysis, final product creation and presentation to RHS staff members were all a part of the project, the release stated, with final judging Dec. 15 before winter break started. Winning was not as important as the takeaway that the projects provided; not only was the project fun for everyone involved, students came away learning valuable 21st century skills useful in real-life career applications.