PLEASANT POINT – Culinary arts student Frank Lola of Pleasant Point walked away with the top prize – an opportunity to cook his scallops in rich wine yogurt sauce at the Blaine House.

Lola and his fellow culinary arts students at the Washington County Community College warmed up the spectators and dippers at the seventh annual Polar Bear Dip with some excellent taste opportunities.

For the first time, the students offered up a “hot” new twist to an old event with their cook-off contest.

It all started at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Pleasant Point Pier, exactly one hour before the dip.

Lola will now enter his recipe in the Maine Dairy Council’s 3-A-Day competition. “The culinary students, under the leadership of instructor Marie Emerson, understand how important it is to support Maine farmers by purchasing items locally,” college spokeswoman Cindy Moholland said earlier this week.

The recipes were tested and analyzed to meet the guidelines of 200 mg of calcium or more per day.

Lined up outside the tent, dippers and the not-so-brave shore watchers got to sample the treats and vote.

In addition to Lola, student chefs included Tim Wilson of Whitefield with his quirky quiche with rice cheese crust, a substitute server stepped in for Brian Cyr of Madawaska and offered up hot savory Italian cheesecake, Emma Jencks of Perry had a delicious four-cheese chicken breast roulade with supreme sauce and Stephanie Pelkey of Sherman Mills entered her yogurt cheese crepes.

Jencks’ tasty treat had a cheesy flavor to it. “I love cheese and thought it would be a good idea,” she said.

Pelkey’s crepes were a sweet delight. “It’s a creamy chicken crepe with a yogurt top,” she said.

While the cooks were inside the tent, nearly 200 dippers lined up along the shore to take the plunge.

College President Bill Cassidy said after taking the plunge that he was pleased with the dip again this year. He had high praise for the Passamaquoddy Tribe as annual hosts of the event, and the tribal police and emergency medical personnel who stand ready to help.

Cassidy also said he was pleased the culinary arts students could join in this year’s event. “It gives a chance for our students to show their wares and lets the spectators get into the warmth and sample some very fine food,” he said.