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The Art Institute of Austin Gives Back With High School Food Truck Battle

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Someone smart said that once. We thought it good advice going into this year’s The Art Institute of Austin High School Food Truck Battle. We decided that it didn’t need any fixing, it needed EXPANSION!

Last year’s event featured four local high schools—Burnet, Cedar Ridge, Connally, and Hutto—where this year’s event added two new contenders—Glenn High School and local favorite, Round Rock High.

The rules, were as follows:

• The theme is “global street food”

• 300 small portions had to be prepared by each team

• Service is between 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on the first day of the Round Rock Chalk Walk Festival

At the event, $12 got you a tasting at each food truck plus a voting token to identify the “People’s Choice” award. Extra votes could be purchased online and at the event if you really wanted to support a specific school.

So, who won?

Every school is a winner in this competition as proceeds from the event are equally distributed to the participating schools. But, in regards to awards, here’s how it ended up:

Honorable Mention: Burnet High School

Honorable Mention: Cedar Ridge High School

Honorable Mention: Hutto High School

People’s Choice & Overall 3rd Place: Round Rock High School

Dish: Mini corn tortillas filled with chargrilled chicken and a mix of cilantro and onions, topped with jalapeno cream sauce and cotija crumbles. Lime wedges and lava sauce available upon request.

Overall 2nd Place: Glenn High School

Dish: Garlic Toasted Pork Cubano with King’s Hawaiian Kona Coffee Glaze served with Mango Chutney and Plantain Chips.

Grand Prize Winner: Connally High School

Dish: Puerco Asado Taco served on Warm Corn Tortillas topped with Mexican Slaw, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco and Avocado Crema

Awards

After ticket sales, individual donations, and a generous donation from Round Rock Arts, The Art Institute of Austin, a branch of The Art Institute of Houston is proud to report that we were able to raise $750 for each of the participating high school teams. In addition, each student competitor on the Connally High School team is eligible for a $1,000 scholarship to The Art Institute of Austin.

Special thanks to our partners and sponsors, King’s Hawaiian, Snappy Snacks Mobile Catering, Sprouts, Round Rock Arts, and Ace Mart. Without them, this event couldn’t happen and we appreciate their continued support of the Culinary Arts.