Ferris’ Kimbrell wins culinary award

Ferris High School senior Tyler Kimbrell received the Student of the Year award at the recent Boyd Coffee Pro Start Invitational.

Students from 22 high schools across Washington compete each year in a culinary contest sponsored by the Washington Restaurant Association. ProStart is a two-year restaurant school-to-career program that has been taught in Washington schools for the past 12 years. It is nationally accredited and prepares students for careers in the food-service industry.

Louis Huang, mentor of the Ferris team, said Kimbrell was nominated by his teacher and honored for his leadership of the team and his help with younger students in the program. He will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the school his choice.

The restaurant management team from Lewis and Clark High School also was honored at the March 3 competition. The team placed third. They had to pitch a restaurant concept and calculate food and labor costs, menu pricing and food prep layout.

Madeleine’s donates $1 from Reubens

Madeleine’s Café and Patisserie will donate $1 from the sale of each Reuben sandwich sold at the restaurant through Saturday to a relief program for victims of the recent devastating tornadoes in the Southern United States.

Owner Deb Green-Clemons said the restaurant raised $500 last year during the week of St. Patrick’s Day. The money was donated to help with relief efforts in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami.

Green-Clemons said they didn’t set out to be known for their Reuben sandwich and have made it the same for years. They’re grateful for the recognition the sandwich has received and wanted to help others.

“It’s just our way of paying it forward,” she said.

Reuben sandwiches are not inspired by the Irish, but area restaurant owners know sales of the layers of toasted rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing tend to spike around St. Patrick’s Day.

Madeleine’s Café and Patisserie sells its Reuben’s for $10.95. The restaurant is at 707 W. Main Ave. in downtown Spokane.

Spokane Public Market accepts EBT

The Spokane Public Market is now taking food stamp electronic benefits cards.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, is a federal program designed to help consumers purchase food using benefits that are loaded onto an electronic benefit transfer or EBT card. Those who have the card can purchase $1 tokens at the Spokane Public Market information booth and use them to make qualified purchases from vendors at the market.

The nonprofit market, 24 W. Second Ave., features food and products from local producers and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. There is more information at spokanepublicmarket.org.