From Staff Reports
The Banana Split Showdown came to a delicious conclusion as one Florida high school team crafted its imaginative twist on the classic frozen dessert. The event, held at Wekiva High School, brought together passionate culinary high school students from across the state to showcase their delicious banana split creations.
The 2025 Banana Split Showdown is not your average culinary competition. Florida high school culinary teams gathered to compete in a creative, fast-paced event that celebrated innovation, teamwork, and Florida dairy in front of judges. The event highlighted both culinary skill and scientific understanding of dairy-based frozen treats.
The winners, who truly excelled in crafting the perfect banana split, are:
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First Place: Wekiva High School with "Geode Sundae". Description: Bruleed bananas with scoops of black sesame, ube, and coffee chocolate ice cream, with bada bing cherry coulis and red miso caramel. Finished with almond white chocolate drizzle, candied coconut, and a cloud of spiced cream to create a bold twist on the classic frozen treat.
The Geode Sundae: Bruleed bananas with scoops of black sesame, ube, and coffee chocolate ice cream, with bada bing cherry coulis and red miso caramel. Finished with almond white chocolate drizzle, candied coconut, and a cloud of spiced cream was a winner for the Wekiva High Culinary Team.
“We’re thrilled to have our unique flavor combination of dark chocolate, ube with miso caramel, and black sesame with coconut recognized. We’d like to thank the judges, the Dairy Council of Florida for their amazing sponsorship of the competition, and to Chef Bates for his guidance, patience, and help crafting our winning banana split. It was great meeting competitors from all over the state of Florida and we look forward to next year’s competition,” said Wekiva High School Culinary team and First Place Winner of the 2025 Banana Split Showdown.
“It is so incredible to see this level of talent in the high school culinary space, and we are so proud of these students,” said Natalia Lozada, Senior Community Relations Manager of Health and Wellness, Dairy Council of Florida. “Through innovative hands-on-events like the Banana Split Showdown, our goal is for dairy to find a permanent place in the future chefs’ culinary creations as they will potentially have influence on many menus throughout their careers and lives.”
The event was made possible by the generous support of Dairy Council of Florida, a division of Florida Dairy Farmers.
The Dairy Council of Florida, a part of the farmer-funded Florida Dairy Farmers organization, focuses on educating health professionals and the public about the benefits of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. They strive to promote a healthy and sustainable world while highlighting the nutritional advantages of dairy over non-dairy alternatives.
