Wetzel County CTE Takes the Title of 2026 Culineering Challenge Grand Champion for Second Year
Charleston, W.Va. – The Wetzel County Technical Education Center is the grand champion of the 2026 West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Culineering Challenge. Hosted by the WVDE Office of Career Technical Education (CTE), the fifth annual event brought nine teams to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center for the Crash Test Yummy competition this week.
As in past years, this 2026 challenge required CTE teams of culinary and engineering students to build confections based on West Virginia State Parks. This included constructing vehicles with edible components equipped with crash test dummies that could withstand the impact on a crash course. Teams were also judged on the quality and taste of their cake.
The Wheeling Park High School Crash Test Culineers (Ohio County) won second place, and the M&M Bake and Break from the Monongalia County Technical Education Center, University High School and Morgantown High School earned third place.
Additional awards included:
- Best Video - Spring Valley High School (Wayne County)
- Best Social Media Campaign - Wheeling Park High School (Ohio County)
- Best Flavor Collision Cake - John Marshall High School (Marshall County)
- People's Choice Award - Wetzel County Technical Education Center (Wetzel County)
Second Place - Wheeling Park High School
Third Place - Monongalia County Technical Education Center, University High School and Morgantown High School
Participating teams included:
| County | School(s) | Team Name |
|---|---|---|
| Marion | Marion County Technical Center | Ctrl. Alt. DaMeat. |
| Marshall | John Marshall High School | The Eggscellent Engineers |
| Mason | Mason County Career Center | The Candy Men |
| Mercer | Mercer County Technical Education Center | MCTEC Crash Dummies |
| Monongalia | Monongalia County Technical Education Center, University High School, Morgantown High School | M&M Bake & Break |
| Ohio | Wheeling Park High School | The Crash Test Culineers |
| Summers | Summers County Comprehensive High School | The Radical CakeRide |
| Wayne | Spring Valley High School | Tiered & Geared |
| Wetzel | Wetzel County Technical Education Center | Crash Test Coyotes |
Each team was composed of five members:
- Culinary: Two students from ProStart or baking and pastry programs
- Engineering: Two engineering students from an engineering, computer science or robotics program
- Social Media Marketing: One student from any CTE program was responsible for promoting efforts through earned and owned media on the team's social media channels.
"The Culineering Challenge is a phenomenal event, and it is one of the highlights of the year for our public schools," said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. "It illustrates the learning that is occurring in our CTE centers, and the industrious and creative problem-solving skills necessary for success. We are proud of our teams and the instructors who were dedicated to the hard work of the competition. We're certain they will take this experience with them for years to come."
The Culineering Challenge grand champion team receives a $5,000 classroom grant, a team trophy, and $200 to each team member courtesy of the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association Education Foundation. The second-place team receives a $3,000 classroom grant and a custom-engraved cutting board. The third-place team receives a $2,000 classroom grant and a custom-engraved cutting board.
The competition is based on the Netflix® series Baking Impossible, and once again several cast members attended to mentor the students and judge the event. They were joined by culinary and engineering experts to support and encourage the students. Thank you to Edwin Chiu, Tim Elliott, Menuka Gamage, Rodolfo Goncalves, Jonathan McCormick, Cindy Ngar, Lawrence Perry, Stefan Price, Tamara Robertson, Sara Schonour, Andrew Smyth and Hannah Walden for their time and expertise.
View event photos in the WVDE Flickr Album and the recorded livestream on the WVDE YouTube channel.