Pasco County students win Creative Confections dessert contest; winner to be showcased at school board meeting

Matthew Testone, community engagement specialist for Pasco County Schools, introduced a student dessert competition held in the Land O' Lakes High School kitchen, saying, "I'm in the kitchen at Land O' Lakes High School for the Creative Confections dessert competition." The event brought culinary and pastry students from several county schools together to prepare desserts around the theme "Cinderella goes camping."

The contest featured entries from Wiregrass Ranch High School, John Long Middle School, and Land O' Lakes High School. Students April and Issa of Wiregrass Ranch described their entry simply: "We are making s'mores donuts." Sahej, a student from John Long Middle School, described a constellation-themed dessert as "a series of, like, camping under the stars." Mikayla Brooks, a student at Land O' Lakes High School, said of her entry, "So it's a campfire cupcake... I made a chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache in the bridal, and then a graham cracker buttercream on top." Kaelin and Audrey of Land O' Lakes said their entry was called "Cinderella's Nature Retreat" and that they built the design around a marshmallow buttercream.

Testone said the winning dessert "is going to be highlighted at an upcoming school board meeting," a planned showcase of student work; no date for that board meeting was specified in the event remarks. Organizers repeatedly noted the students' preparation and consistency across entries, with Testone saying the students "put in the time, the effort, and applying the skills that they're learning."

At the end of the event, organizers announced the overall winners: Kaelin and Audrey of Land O' Lakes High School with an entry identified as "Cinderella's chocolate and intro to the tree." The announcement and the program centered on student culinary skills and school-run career-technical education experiences rather than policy or board actions. No formal votes or administrative actions were recorded during the portion of the event in the transcript.

The competition served as a student showcase and a public engagement opportunity for Pasco County Schools; organizers indicated the winners will be presented to the school board but did not provide further logistical details or follow-up requirements.