EXETER — Orion Raczek may have been surprised when his name was called as the winner of the state SkillsUSA culinary competition this year, but for those who know his talent, it was a well-deserved distinction.
“Since day one, he’s shown a real passion for food,” said Margaret Forêt, Raczek’s culinary arts instructor at Exeter’s Seacoast School of Technology. “He has excellent skills.”
An 18-year-old senior at Newmarket High School, Raczek has been perfecting his love of cooking since he was a child. The son of Linda and John Raczek of Newmarket, Orion’s already spent more than half his life creating great things to eat, and he credits his dad for getting him started.
“Since my dad worked in kitchens, he was the cook of the family,” Raczek said. “I saw him and wanted to help. So, he dragged over a stool and gave me a plastic knife.”
Years later, it may have been the dexterity begun with that plastic knife that helped him win the day-long state SkillsUSA culinary competition this year.
“Orion scored 292 points out of a possible 360,” Forêt said. “That’s an excellent score. There were six judges, all certified executive chefs in New Hampshire and 12 competitors from all over New Hampshire.”
In the first part of the competition, Raczek had to demonstrate his knife skills by slicing and dicing vegetables and dismembering a chicken, Forêt said. He then created and presented salads.
“I made an arugula salad, dressed with a balsamic-honey-lemon vinaigrette, with goat cheese, pickled shallots, sliced apples, almonds and fresh thyme leaves,” he said.
Raczek also prepared two courses: a soup and an entree of his own creation.
“I made a roasted tomato and garlic soup with whipped feta cheese,” he said. “For the entree, I made a chicken roulade, which is pounded and rolled chicken. I stuffed it with bread crumbs, candied walnuts and cranberries.”
Forêt was quickly informed her student had won, but it was kept secret until the SkillsUSA awards ceremony held in Salem on Wednesday, April 10. The effort was worth it, for Forêt believes Raczek can soar in his chosen field.
“I think Orion’s future is limitless based on his skills,” she said. “He’s creative, hardworking; and he makes really good food.”
Donut Love shuts down:All three stores — Exeter, North Hampton, Newmarket — close
When he is not in the classroom, Raczek is working at Vino e Vivo
For a teacher to tout the attributes of a star pupil isn’t out of the ordinary. But making it in the classroom is one thing, and succeeding in the high-pressure world of a professional kitchen is quite another.
Yet, Raczek earns praise from Paul Callahan, a man who’s spent a career making “really good food" and a 2023 James Beard semifinalist for best chef in the Northeast. Callahan is the executive chef at Exeter’s Vino e Vivo wine bar and restaurant, where Raczek works part-time.
Callahan credits Vino e Vivo owner Tony Callendrello for bringing Raczek into his kitchen about a year ago when the restaurant was looking to hire. That was when Callendrello reached out to SST to see if there was a student who fit the bill.
According to Forêt, she never hesitated to recommend Raczek.
“I went to Vino e Vivo recently,” she said. “They love him there, and he loves them.”
Callahan agrees. Raczek started doing prep work, he said, and within a year he’s working at the salad and dessert station. Even this early in Raczek’s career, Callahan said he wouldn’t hesitate to ask Raczek to take a shift as a line cook preparing entrees, if necessary.
“I’ve seen, many, many, many people who go through the kitchen, but only a handful who have the kind of passion Orion has,” Callahan said. “He has great knife skills, and he moves his feet really well. It’s hard to teach people to see the bigger picture. Orion had the knack from the start.”
“I just love the creative aspect of cooking,” Raczek said. “I always felt a deep commitment.”
The teamwork a restaurant kitchen provides, Raczek also finds fulfilling, he said, with everyone working together to provide a great dining experience for the customers.
Raczek graduates this year and has a job lined up, at Vino e Vivo, of course. That restaurant’s environment and people, he said, offer him the culinary and business education he craves, without the cost of tuition.
2024 Great Bay Food Truck Festival:What to know before you go
Raczek to compete in SkillsUSA national championship
Winning the state championship this year qualifies Raczek to compete at SkillsUSA’s Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, from June 24 to 28, according to Forêt. Thousands of students from across the country enter 115 different competitions dealing with technical, science, and trade careers. It’s run annually by this national nonprofit educational association, that’s a partnership of students, teachers and various industries, including culinary.
“This is a really big deal, actually,” Forêt said. “It’s a weeklong event and competition with a written test as well as cooking skills. I believe the winner gets a full scholarship to Johnson & Wales University.”
Forêt put aside some funding to support the week’s expenses in Atlanta for Raczek, and she’s also planning a fundraising dinner for the community to help Raczek underwrite the cost.
“We’re planning a four-course dinner here at SST, all prepared by Orion and the (culinary) students,” she said. “It will be Tuesday, April 30, starting at 5:30.”
SST dinners are known by many with discerning tastes in the surrounding towns, and as well as eating a wonderful meal, attendees can celebrate Raczek’s and the school’s recent success.
“We’ll have 60 tickets,” Forêt said, “but we could squeeze in more if we had to.”
For Raczek, this is another example of the support he’s had from those who’ve helped him on his journey toward fulfilling his career dreams.
“I want to thank everyone at Vino e Vino and my teachers at SST,” he said. “And absolutely my dad.”
For Paul Callahan, who’s one of the nurturers of Raczek’s dream, just watching him succeed is one of the high points of his own career, even considering the James Beard nomination last year.
“From my perspective as a chef … there is truly nothing quite like seeing someone like Orion do so well,” Callahan said. “There are just no words.”
'We're happy to be back':Greg’s Bistro reopens — again — in Hampton after tough year
Most Popular
Comments / 0