MCTC culinary arts team awarded bronze medal

Huntington, W.Va. — The Mountwest Culinary Arts Team competed in the American Culinary Federation 2010 Student Hot-Foods Competition on Friday, Dec. 3, receiving a bronze medal.

Program Director Chef Lawrence Perry and Team Coach Chef Chris Bugher accompanied student chefs, Josh Keck, Leah Gore, Andy Stepp, Nikki Allen and Kadi Spade to the state competition held in Beckley, W.Va.

The competition consisted of two phases: culinary skills and hot food production.

Phase 1 consisted of individual timed skill sets. Each of the four team members had 20 minutes, a total team time of 80 minutes, to complete their assigned skills set.

Phase 2 is the hot-food preparation. The culinary arts team created their own menus with the assigned required items and was given 90 minutes to create a four course meal according to very strict ACF standards.

This was the Culinary Arts third time competing in this event, and the first time under the new banner name of Mountwest. It is MCTC’s first school medal.

Medals are awarded based on American Culinary Federation National Standards. Teams were judged on an individual basis, not against other competing teams.

Three more drug convictions in Huntington

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A law enforcement crackdown on what the government calls open-air drug markets in Huntington has led to several more guilty pleas in Huntington.

U.S. Attorney R. Booth Goodwin II announced the successful prosecutions Monday as part of the Drug Market Intervention Initiative. The goal is to snuff drug activities that breed crimes of violence.

The latest prosecutions involved two Huntington defendants who were involved in the distribution of either crack or powerful prescription pain killers, and a Chicago man who distributed both drugs.

To date, Goodwin said nine people have been charged with federal counts under the Drug Market initiative.

Detroit man gets prison in W.Va.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A Detroit man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine in the Huntington area.

The defendant, 29-year-old Deshune William Calloway, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to the federal drug charge in May.

The government said Calloway’s arrest stemmed from investigation in a Detroit organization called the Cash Out Crips, which operated in the Huntington area.

Prosecutors said the search of a so-called stash house used by the Crips uncovered cocaine, powerful prescription painkillers, firearms and other materials.