Phoebus High School culinary pathway earns first place in the Hampton Oyster Soup Tasting Competition

The culinary pathway at Phoebus High School earned first place in the Hampton Oyster Soup Tasting Competition on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

Instructor chef Travis Walker led his students, Jeremiah Seward, Darius Mitchell, Samir Clemente, Ronnie Marshall White, and Makai Johnson to success. This accomplishment speaks volumes about the quality of education the students receive daily through the Academies of Hampton educational framework. 

In preparation for this competition, students prepared a warm and hearty oyster soup for the administration team for feedback and the response coincided with the outcome of the competition. This accomplishment joins a long list of achievements from the students in the culinary pathway and it is truly an honor to be a pillar of the community and a distinguished restaurant in the city of Hampton.

Shore Up founders and owners, Claire Neubert and Linda Hamm, sponsored and hosted this annual competition during Virginia Oyster Month. The purpose of this competition is to bring awareness of oyster restoration and local restaurants in the downtown areas. The judges scored based on presentation, aroma, flair, texture, and overall impression. The only stipulation is that the soup must be made with Virginia Oysters, supplied by Shored Up. 

Twelve judges came together to visit several restaurants in the Downtown Phoebus and Hampton area to sample the creation of made-from-scratch oyster soup to crown the winner with “bragging rights.” The Blue Phantom Inn Restaurant is a student-run restaurant located in Phoebus High School and is the best place to order your oyster soup for the cold months ahead. 

Other restaurants competing in the competition are as follows:

Graham & Rollins Seafood Market/Restaurant

Pour Girls

Fuller’s Raw Bar & Grill

Baker’s Wife

Stillwater Tavern

Copper Barley at The Landing Hotel

For more information, visit the host’s website at https://www.shoredupva.com  and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/979220090038811/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D