About 350 people filled 3015 at Trinity Groves to try dishes as part of Food In Fashion, which benefits the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation and its ProStart program in schools across the state, including Dallas ISD.
Part of the evening showcased the culinary programs of DISD high schools, with teams of students preparing food and diners voting on their favorites.
“A few years ago, I had students cook for the board,” District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn says. “I’ve always wanted other people to see this and taste the talent.”
As students from Wilmer-Hutchins High School put together skewers of steak and shrimp, Blackburn put out plates and garnished the food.
“I’m just helping them,” he says. “I’ve gotten my hands dirty tonight.”
As part of Food in Fashion, DISD students cooked dishes for attendees at a fashion show on Wednesday night at 3015 at Trinity Groves.
Mikel Galicia
“It’s food and fashion — I thought I’d bring the food to the fashion,” he says.
District 3 trustee Dan Micciche, sporting a black apron over his suit, worked with students from Bryan Adams High School.
“I’m the cheerleading team,” he says.
Trustee Joyce Foreman didn’t work with a school in her District 6, but with her alma mater, Lincoln High School.
“This is something I actually want to do as I career,” says DayJus Hill, a junior at Lincoln and in the school’s culinary program.
The 17-year-old explained plans to attend Texas A&M University to study business, then travel to Italy to train in cooking.
DISD high school students cooked up dishes for an audience that voted on their favorites.
Mikel Galicia
There was only one trophy for the evening: and at the very beginning of the event, the trustee for District 7 nailed it.
“I’m predicting Molina will be the winner tonight,” Audrey Pinkerton says.
Later, when Randall White — president of Elettore, which organized the event — announced the school team as the winner, cheering erupted from the Molina cooking station.
The second half of the evening was dedicated to a fashion show with a simple concept: 10 fashion designers teamed with 10 restaurants to create fashions for 10 models in this Project Runway-inspired presentation.
The only catch was that at least 10 percent of each design had to come out of the restaurant — that’s anything, food or otherwise.
Models walked along the temporary runway wearing bizarre fashions. Niyah Sani Boutique paired with Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel to make a skirt of marshmallows. UK by Anthony and Asian Mint had a model with chopsticks in her hair and her dress decorated with red chilis and lettuce.
All models took the job seriously, even the one with a bowl of salad on her head and the one who represented Jack in the Box with Jack antenna balls all over herself.
