An Appetite for Learning Pays Big For Wonsavage

Kelsey Wonsavage, who has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old, knew she was going to continue her studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

What the 2011 Saline High School grad didn’t know was that she would have a full-ride scholarship to one of the country’s most prestigious culinary institute.

The scholarship is Wonsavage’s reward for taking first place and gold at the SkillsUSA national culinary competition held June 20-24 in Kansas City. Wonsavage, who works at Paesano Italian Restaurant in Ann Arbor and Benny’s in Saline, competed against over 100 other contestants, all of whom won various local, regional and state competitions to get to the national stage.

Wonsavage felt that she'd done well at the competition after a grueling few weeks of preparation. But she was anxious the SkillsUSA organizers called out the winners of nearly 100 other competitions before they arrived at culinary arts. They called out the third place finisher. And then second. Suddenly, hope for a top finish collided with fear that she'd go home empty-handed.

“When I heard my name over the speaker and then saw my name on the screen, I couldn’t believe it. My friends starting patting me on the back and screaming. It was an amazing moment,” Wonsavage said.

Chef Sam Musto teaches culinary arts to Saline High School and Southwest Washtenaw Consortium students. Musto said he wasn’t surprised by his pupil’s performance. He said when he was hired, he promised the school principal that one of his students would win gold in the national competition, and Wonsavage was the perfect student to make good on the promise.

“She has practiced and honed her craft relentlessly. Even after she graduated, she came to the kitchen every day to practice,” Musto said.

He said Wonsavage is a terrific student because she wants to learn.

“She has focus and the ability to listen to a criticism and respond to what it is we are looking for,” Musto said. “When it comes to culinary arts, she knows the ingredients and what they can do. She can taste things and change on the fly. She gets it.”

Finally, Musto said, Wonsavage has ability to excel when the pressure is on.

“She’s very calm under high pressure—to an extent I have not seen in a long time,” Musto said. “Students go to national competitions and sometimes they get blown out of the water because they can’t handle it.”

In fact, Wonsavage felt the pressure.

“As nationals got closer, I was really stressed out. Graduation was closing in. College was coming. I was tired and stressed,” Wonsavage said. “Chef Polly (Brown) and Chef Musto really kept me going. I can't thank them enough.”

When she arrived in Kansas City, the event was held on a convention floor that had been converted into more than 100 small kitchens. And that was just just the culinary event.

“The floor was 16-football-fields-long. They wheeled in the ovens and fridges. Meanwhile, all the other skills competitions, were taking place, too,” Wonsavage said.

The makeshift kitchen presented no problems. Wonsavage and Chef Musto were more concerned with performing during the three-hour competition, which judged many things, including taste, presentation and strategic timing. Chef Musto and Wonsavage decided before the competition that they wanted to grab the judges' attention and distinguish her from the field as soon as possible.

The first task was to make a salad. Most of the students, perhaps dreaming of their entrée, offered the judges little more than a tossed salad. Wonsavage created a neat, tasty chicken rotini salad.

“I think she wowed the judges with that first dish. She did more than was expected and that could have put her on the radar," Musto said.

For the main course, Wonsavage served a dish with chicken and a poached salmon dish.

Musto said he was proud of Wonsavage, but not completely surprised by her terrific finish.

“I’ve said this to her father. Some people are meant to be cooks, and others are meant to be chefs. Kelsey can be a chef,” Musto said.

With a full-ride to the Culinary Institute of America, the opportunity is rich.

“Many people have to work two jobs in school. She’ll have the luxury of just being able to study and concentrate on learning,” Musto said. “That could make all the difference in the world.”

When asked about her future plans, Wonsavage said she’s not yet made up her mind.

“I want to study culinary nutrition or get a degree in business management or hospitality management, but after that, I’m not sure,” she said. “I just want to keep learning. I would love to go to a pastry school or go to Italy and learn to make cheese.”

Her appetite for learning the culinary art appears insatiable.

“I just want to keep learning and make the best food that I can,” she said.