Connecticut school hosts culinary competition in cafeteria

Dec. 18—Forget the “Thrilla in Manila” or the “Rumble in the Jungle” because on Tuesday inside the Killingly Intermediate School it was the “Duel in the School,” where two assistant principals faced-off in a culinary competition that featured as much smack-talk as food.

The contest pitted assistant principals Tim Jonasch and Steven Tagen against each other, with the school’s cafeteria as the arena and students and administrators as judges. The event was the brainchild of Tim Mugan, the school’s food service director, who was looking for a way to spice up the lunch hour.

“I knew this type of competition would get the kids excited,” said Mugan, an employee of Whitsons Culinary Group. “Sometimes the school lunch program gets a bad rep and this was a way to bring the fun back into lunch.”