When the school bell rings at 7:35 a.m., providing an almost-universal signal that class is about to start, not every student is at a desk.

For some Upper Cape Regional Technical School students, the sound can often indicate that it is time for cooking to commence. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, students in Upper Cape’s culinary program were not just preparing for the kitchen’s typical dining services. Instead, some were readying themselves for the school’s first burger slider competition. 

Each school participating in the competition, including Upper Cape, Southeastern Technical School and Greater New Bedford Technical School, had two teams of three students competing in Bourne.

Though the other schools arrived around 12:30 p.m. with the majority of their food prepared, the kitchen became quite crowded and “a little crazy,” according to Chef and Instructor Joseph Ellia.

One of Upper Cape’s teams, known as “Triple AAA,” was comprised entirely of students from Wareham, including seniors Paige Harris and Lexi McCarthy as well as junior Alex Swierkowski.

And with a bacon-stuffed burger topped with smoked gouda, pickled red onion, watercress greens, a homemade mustard aioli and served with a side of house cut truffle chips, “Triple AAA” emerged from the competition victorious. 

Although it was a team effort, Harris said the idea for this first-place burger came from Swierkowski.

He explained his thought process when coming up with the plans the night before. Liking the smoky combination of the gouda and bacon, Swierkowski chose to enhance that flavor through his use of the red onions. 

Then, in an effort to shy away from the use of iceberg lettuce or the like, he decided to opt for the watercress greens. In addition, he said he believes the mustard pairs well with the flavor combination.

As a co-op student, Swierkowski jumped into the project later than the rest of the students, which is why their plans were made a bit more last minute, he explained. 

He said, “It was hectic, but fun.”

Prior to learning about their victory, Harris said, “I think it's a pretty good burger. I really do think we're going to win. It's pretty high class, but it's like high class with a side of stuff, so it’s a little more approachable.”

Upper Cape’s second team, known as “Ram Dough Baby,” included senior McKenzie Greene of Falmouth as well as sophomores Tucker Moloney of Sandwich and Michael Lafleur of Bourne. 

Because of this competition, for the first time ever, Greene was able to tell people that the food they were eating came from her very own recipe. 

The burger was seared and topped with Vermont white cheddar, honey pepper bacon, sweet brown sugar aioli sauce — all in a mini fried dough bun and served with sweet potato fries.

Coming to her a few months ago, Greene said her team did a test run and spent the day recreating it. 

“It was a little stressful,” Greene said, “but I think everything’s going good so far.”

She added, “I think everyone else’s burgers look great!”

The team ended in the third place spot, earning themselves a medal. First place and “Most Creative” received trophies and all participating students received a customized cowbell keychain created by Upper Cape’s engineering students. 

The competition was judged by everyone, with every attendee receiving a paper to rate the burgers on a scale of one through 10 based on taste, presentation, creativity and how they did overall. However, there was also a panel of judges that included chefs from the area. 

Boxes at the bottom of the judging sheet provided a space for those individuals as well as other attendees to provide some constructive criticism and feedback for the students.

Although there were small mishaps such as with one team grabbing another team’s burgers and the sighting of smoke in the kitchen, “all the kids pulled it off and they’ve done a great job,” Ellia said.

He said similar competitions have been held in the state before, but this is the first time one is being held on the South Coast, adding how they are a great way for students to apply their skills, get creative and connect with peers and professionals from the culinary world.

Ellia said, “It pushes the kids. It pushes them to be their best.”