The Idaho Potato Commission along with the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education selected Sauk Rapids-Rice Department Chair and Instructor Mary Levinski to receive the 2023 Secondary Educator of the Year award. This honor recognizes an educator’s professional commitment to the educational community and foodservice industry.

“Dedicated,” “passion for culinary arts,” “master at building relationships,” and “devoted” are adjectives that were used over and over by various people to describe Levinski in her IPC Secondary Educator of the Year application.

One former student said, “She is by far one of the greatest and most-talented mentors and teachers I have ever had the chance to learn from and work with.” A colleague said, “Ms. Levinski is one of Minnesota’s best in her craft.”

The teacher and department chair at Sauk Rapids-Rice high school believes in partnering with community organizations to serve others and provide her students with opportunities to connect with professionals. Here is just a sampling of her community events:

• She and her students partnered with the Midwest Dairy Association and created a video with Delvin Tomlinson of the Minnesota Vikings showcasing a grilled cheese challenge.
• Levinski and her culinary students worked with the Central Minnesota United Way on a progressive dinner supporting a literacy campaign.
• Her culinary students baked over 800 cupcakes for the Sauk Rapids-Rice Education Foundation’s fundraiser.

Levinski also contracts with the Minnesota Department of Education to teach ServSafe, a culinary training program, to other state high school teachers. She has taught more than 550 teachers to date. Additionally, she has taught the curriculum to members of the foodservice industry for 15 years.

When Levinski is not supporting the community or other educators, she is supporting her students in culinary competitions. She has coached several culinary and management teams to the state and national ProStart Invitational culinary competitions, winning 13 times in management contests and four times in culinary competitions.

Levinski is a highly regarded chef and educator, receiving the American Culinary Federation’s 2021 Chef of the Year and earning the Educator of the Year award in 2018 and 2020.

Click here to go back to the 2023 CAFÉ award recipients list.