CHIEF CHEF: Canton grad’s love for cooking leads to U.S. title

During the isolated days of pandemic-created remote learning in the fall of 2020, brothers Charlie and Parker Salowich — a freshman and junior, respectively, at Canton High School — would complete their morning online classes at home before eagerly looking forward to their one-hour lunch break.

Instead of settling for mundane grilled cheese sandwiches or trips to the closest McDonald’s drive-thru, the Salowiches embraced a little creativity when it came to their mid-day meal.

“We had the whole house to ourselves, so we started cooking our own lunches,” Charlie Salowich reflected. “We’d cook anything we could find in the house. I’d make a lot of chicken dishes, but I’d try to add something unique to them. I experimented with pasta and different sauces.

“It didn’t take long for me to figure out I really liked cooking and that I wanted to do more with it. At the time, I never realized it would turn out like this.”

Culinary gold

This past June, Salowich earned a first-place medal in the Culinary Arts Division of the National SkillsUSA Championship, widely-regarded as the United States’ foremost career tech and skilled trades education competition.

Madeleine White, a classmate of Salowich at Canton, won the nation’s top prize for the fine dining restaurant service category.

To qualify for the national championship in Atlanta, Salowich and White were required to finish first in their respective categories’ state competition — and finish no worse than third at a regional tournament.

“The entire experience felt like a rollercoaster,” said Salowich. “Once I got there, I just tried not to think about it too much so I wouldn’t get nervous. Surprisingly, though, the day of the event I was the most calm I’ve ever been for a competition. I realized it was the last competition I’d be doing as a high school student. I figured, hey, I’ve made it this far; just keep doing what I do.”

Amazing feeling

Competing against dozens of state champions, Salowich said learning he was among the top three finishers was almost as exciting as learning he had captured the top prize.

“After the five-hour competition (each competitor had to prepare five dishes — an appetizer, soup, two entrees and dessert), the judges randomly called the top three scorers onto the stage,” he said. “When I heard my name, I was in shock. Then when whey announced the other two finalists as the third- and second-place winners, I realized I had won and … what an amazing feeling.”

Along with the five-hour competition — during which judges were watching his every move, he added — Salowich completed a written assessment and demonstrated knife and butchery skills.

In addition to a gold medal, Salowich won a full-tuition scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America, which is based in Hyde Park, New York.

“The C.I.A. is considered among the top culinary schools in America,” he said. “A lot of great, well-known chefs — including Scott Conant — graduated from there.”

Practice and mentorship

Salowich, the son of Parker and Lisa Salowich, emphasized his journey to culinary achievement was paved with a lot of practice and a lot of help — most notably from teacher Diana Woodward, who heads the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park’s culinary and restaurant management team.

“I couldn’t have done this without ‘Woody’, our nickname for Ms. Woodward,” Salowich said. “Everything I’ve learned about culinary arts has come from her.

“Ms. Woodward has done everything from supply ingredients for me to help me clean up.”

Woodward delivered high praise for her prized pupils — White and Salowich.

“Charlie and Madeleine pulled out all the stops and put on the show of their lives, and we’re so proud of their achievement,” said Woodward. “Charlie and Madeleine work hard every day, they’re creative and passionate about what they do, and we look forward to watching them continue to grow and succeed.”

Cooking up a feast

Before he graduated from Canton in June, Salowich’s days were stuffed with cooking. He was a chef for the Rock Cafe, which cooked meals for P-CEP teachers’ lunch breaks, during the day, before heading to work at Plymouth Township’s renowned Karl’s Cabin restaurant.

“I wish I could have cooked more meals for my family,” Salowich said, smiling, “but I was too tired by the time I got home from work.”

Salowich was also a Career and Technical Education Honor Key recipient, as well as a member of the 2023 ProStart national champion high school culinary team at P-CCS. He was also a four-year lacrosse player for Canton High School and three-year football player for the Chiefs.

After earning a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, Salowich hopes to secure a position as a chef at a fine-dining establishment, preferably in a metropolitan city like New York or Chicago.

In other words, restaurants that probably don’t serve grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenewscom.