Chemu SHS beat the defending Greater Accra Regional Champions of the Onga Cook Art to seal a place in the next stage of the competition.

They proved too strong for Accra High School and two others at the regional contest, which was held at St. Mary’s SHS.

Four schools locked horns in a battle for supremacy and an opportunity to represent the region at the zonal level of the 2023 Onga Cook Art Championship.

The contestants were assessed in two phases.

The first was the oral, where their mental prowess was put to the test, after which their culinary skills were evaluated as they were tasked to prepare innovative meals using leftover dishes.

At the start of the contest, Chemu Senior High School sealed their dominance by leading the pack with 24 points at the end of round one. Accra High School followed with 16 points, and Saint Mary's Senior High School and Ada Senior High School had 14 points each.

Contestants were then given two hours to impress the judges with their culinary skills. At the time the judges asked the contestants to stop working, Ada SHS's meal was still not ready, so they failed to set their table.

After hours of the nerve-racking contest, the new reigning regional champion emerged. Chemu SHS finished with a strong 85 percent.

Accra High School fell short with 68.5 per cent. St. Mary's SHS had 62 percent of the vote, while Ada SHS had 60.5 percent.

Chief Adjudicator Audrey Acheampong applauded contestants' innovations but urged them to take time to understand the question, as some of them failed to use leftover dishes, which was the reason they couldn't finish on time.

Chemu SHS will slug it out with central regional champion Apam SHS and Western Regional champion Fiaseman SHS to secure a slot in the 2023 Onga Cook Art National Competition.