At 10:30 a.m., each team was provided with a box of ingredients.
They were given one hour to prepare a sandwich and dessert for a team of judges to sample.
The boys, coached by Eugene Dugan, owner of Grumpy's, got ham, ginger, cake batter, gummy bears, granola and a mango.
The girls, coached by Mathias, got hamburger, scrapple, strawberry jam, zucchini and Peeps.
The students scattered throughout the large kitchen, working with their coaches to come up with a plan.
Within minutes, the boys were melting gummy bears and chopping mangoes.
The girls were blending bacon, broccoli, mayonnaise and cilantro.
The coaches from both sides got a few extra ingredients from the kitchen to add to their dishes.
Eriq got a mixer for the cake batter and mango. He was preparing cupcakes.
Amaya Stevenson, 16, a junior, was mixing burgers and scrapple to make patties for sliders with melted cheese.
Mathias then came up with a plan for dessert.
The girls made zucchini crepes with strawberry cré¨me filling.
After an hour of cooking, the sandwiches and the desserts were ready for tasting by the judges: Stephen Rodriguez, acting superintendent; Amy Francis, school board president; Rich Hug, director of technology; and Linda Jacobs, president of Downtown Dezign, Pottstown.
The vote was unanimous: The girls won for the sliders, which they dubbed, Spice Girl Sliders.
The boys won the dessert, which they called Mango Madness.
John Armato, Pottstown School District spokesman, said the competition increases the students' desire to learn.
"It brings out enthusiasm to learn," Armato said.
Eriq, meanwhile, shared that he has dreams of going to culinary school when he graduates.
"I hope to go to the Culinary Institute of America in New York," he said. Team members included:
Boys Team:
James Coleman
Jaylen Chestnut
Kevin Knittle
Tyrik Terry
Eriq Johnson
Rielly Dugan
Clayton Logan
Girls Team:
Amaya Stevenson
Julia Day