Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) student Richard Tunoa-Scanlan is celebrating a sweet victory after taking first place in the Baking & Pastry Arts category at the SkillsUSA State Championship competition held in Greensboro on April 23-25. 

Tunoa-Scanlan has already completed his Culinary Arts degree at FTCC. He is now working on his Baking and Pastry Arts degree and is dual enrolled in an Associates in Art.

He has taken several classes in the fine arts department that have helped to refine his skills in the bake shop and channel his creativity. He is also currently working at Publix as a cake decorator, which has given him extensive hands-on practice outside of class. 

“Richard is known amongst his classmates for being the go-to person for delicious cookies, brownies and treats. He often surprises us in class by bringing in the products of new recipes he's testing so that we can taste them and give feedback,” shared Culinary Tech Instructor Sabrina Santucci. 

The competitions of the SkillsUSA Championships are created and judged by industry to ensure that students are learning the real-world skills employers demand from entry-level professionals. 

For the Baking & Pastry Arts category, competitors are challenged to meet production and quality standards expected in the industry. 

The competition includes a written examination and practical exercises. Competitors demonstrate their knowledge and skills through scaling, mixing, preparing and baking products. The products include, but may not be limited to, breads, rolls, cookies and assorted pastries. The student must also demonstrate cake decorating skills. The competitor must also work efficiently to produce quality products in a job-like setting.

Tunoa-Scanlan will be competing in the national stage of the competition this July.  

He will spend the next two months practicing not only his technical baking skills, but also his time management and technical baking knowledge as he will be expected to complete the Retail Bakers of America Certified Journey Baker exam and the Certified Fundamental Pastry Cook™ exam through the American Culinary Federation.