YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — A group of high school students from Ypsilanti are getting a chance to compete in a global competition involving NASA.
“Honestly, it has a lot of flavor; it’s not too spicy,” said Lincoln High School student Brooklyn Rupert.
Rupert is a part of a culinary arts program for students at Lincoln and Ypsilanti High Schools. She and three other students are in the top 10 globally for a culinary competition put on by NASA HUNCH.
“I was on the team that went last year. We placed fifth in the world. I hope we get to place first or at least top three this year, so I’m coming back with a lot of steam,” she says.
To win the competition, students have to create a dish that astronauts can eat while in space. This year’s theme was pasta, so the girls chose to make Cajun fettuccine pasta.
“We had to figure out how to make pasta nutritionally safe because the astronauts can’t have much salt… or calories either,” said Ypsilanti High School student Eliie Madigan. “So what we’ve done here is use a combination of sodium flour for lower calories and bread flour because the gluten is what holds the pasta together.”
Madigan says she’s excited to represent Ypsilanti in the competition.
“It’s pretty special, definitely gets our little town, little city,” said Madigan. “It gets the word out for it.”
RAW VIDEO: Ellie Madigan takes us through pasta making
The students will be traveling to Houston, Texas, for the competition. They’ll be accompanied by their teacher, Chef Aaron Gaertner.
“It’s absolutely an amazing thing for these students to be a part of because it really brings together all of STEAM education, science, technology, engineering, art, and math,” said Gaertner.
The group of students who win first place will be able to get up to $15,000 in scholarship money, and their dish will be put on the International Space Station.
Brooklyn Rupert says she hopes her team’s dish gets on the I.S.S.
“Honestly, it’s an awesome experience to be able to do it in our kitchen in Ypsilanti, and it’s going to go into the International Space Station,” said Rupert.
The students will be leaving for Texas on April 6th.
