Rotary clubs in District 1200 hold a full menu of skills tests in disciplines including writing, speaking, music, technology, and more, but the Young Chef event is among the most popular. At a district-level qualifier directed by connoisseurs of the Rotary Club of Burnham-on-Sea in February, seven high school students whipped up three-course menus in two hours. The victorious victuals included venison steaks accompanied by fondant sweet potato, pea puree with juniper berry red wine sauce, and strawberry mille-feuille, a puff pastry dessert. The winning chef and a runner-up advanced to the regional final in Cardiff, Wales, in March. “We find it a rewarding competition for us as well as the contestants,” says Jane Gibbs, a Burnham-on-Sea club member who has organized Young Chef Assemblies for more than a dozen years.