The mouthwatering aroma of braised duck filled the halls of the Howard County Applications and Research Laboratory April 18.

In a banquet room next to the building's kitchen, four high school students, carefully dressed in chef's whites, chopped, braised and sliced with precision, working together as one well-oiled cooking machine.

The members of the Applications and Research Laboratory culinary team announced their progress to one another as they cooked their winning menu during a practice session after school.

"Burner free!"

"Potatoes ready!"

"Crab done!"

"Vinaigrette!"

After beating out 20 culinary teams to win the state competition in March, the four students -- Ryan Meliker, a senior at Centennial High School; Kara Lovalvo, a junior at Centennial; Alexander Morris, a junior at Mt. Hebron High School; and Tyler Weedon, a junior at Mt. Hebron -- will represent Maryland at the National ProStart Invitational April 24-26, in San Diego. Mt. Hebron junior Eric Oleam is the alternate for the team.

Thirty-five high school teams from across the United States and Guam will compete for honors and scholarships at the national competition. The students will cook a three-course gourmet meal for two.

LaDeana Litchfield, the state coordinator for the ProStart program, said the teams are judged not just on the taste of the food, but the presentation as well. Additionally, the students are also judged on their safety and sanitation skills, their professional appearance, and how well they work together as a team, Litchfield said.

The rules of the competition are strict. The teams aren't allowed to pre-prepare, cut or slice any of the ingredients ahead of time, Litchfield said. The students must also bring all of their own equipment, such as cutting boards, pans and knives, and all of their own ingredients to the competition, Litchfield added. The only items that will be provided to the students at the event are two tables and two butane burners, she said.

Once the competition is underway, the teams have precisely 60 minutes in which to prepare their dishes, and they will receive point penalties for any time that they take over the limit, Litchfield said.

It's a tight timeline, one that the Howard County team has struggled to meet until a recent practice session April 18.

Elaine Heilman, chef instructor at the Howard County Applications and Research Laboratory and coach of the culinary team, said all of the students except for Meliker were new to the team -- and cooking -- this year. During tryouts in September, Heilman said she looked for organizational skills, the ability to accurately follow instructions and creativity.

"I can teach them everything else," she said.

Meliker, the team captain, said he was looking forward to the national competition, especially since they had such a "great team and a great menu" this year.

He said his love of cooking runs deep, and he said he loves to demonstrate his personality through cooking.

That's why he signed up for the team in the first place.

"I'm definitely going to culinary school next year and see where that takes me," he added.

What's cooking

The Howard County Applications and Research Laboratory culinary team will be whipping up the following menu at the national competition in San Diego this week:

* Maryland Crab Empanadas, served over a petite salad of julienne baby corn, jicama and onion sprouts; guacamole quenelles and a grain mustard tomato butter sauce

* Bacon Wrapped Muscovy Duck Torchon: Bing cherries, chestnut and baby spinach stuffed breast, served over vegetable Brunoise, crisp potato cakes; sherry duck glace and warm shiitake truffle oil vinaigrette

* Saffron Ginger Panna Cotta: Fresh mango, raspberry and blueberry compote, raspberry and mango coulis; vanilla tuile

E-mail Sarah Daniels at sdaniels@patuxent.com.

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