SLO County students showcase culinary skills in ‘Chopped’-style competition
.jpg "Students used Arroyo Grande High School’s state-of-the-art culinary facilities to cook meals during the Chop Classic on Nov. 16, 2024.")
Local high school students showcased cutthroat culinary skills in a cooking competition held at Arroyo Grande High School on Nov. 17.
The first annual “Chop Classic” pitted teams of students against one another as they attempted to craft the best-tasting meal with the most appetizing presentation before a panel of local judges.
Around 25 students from Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Santa Maria high schools competed in the event, led by culinary instructors from each school. And although they had approximately two weeks to plan and practice their meals ahead of time, the students’ nerves took over that morning.
“(I’m) kind of nervous, but just trying to remember we practiced this before, we know what we’re doing,” Arroyo Grande student Patricia Salazar said about five minutes before her team was called into the kitchen. Salazar’s teammates, Stephen Banks and Teah Ross, concurred.
“I had very much anxiety during my sleep, that was the weirdest sensation to me,” Ross said. “But I got here and I was like — you know what? This isn’t that bad.”
“I woke up feeling really nervous, but by the time we got here and kind of cooled off a bit, I feel a little bit more confident,” Banks said.
Doug MacMillan — owner and chef at Pismo’s Vista Steak and Seafood, Ada’s Fish House and Rosa’s Italian Restaurant — emceed and helped organize the event. MacMillan is a longtime supporter of the culinary program at AGHS.
“Competition is what drives us,” MacMillan told The Tribune. “I mean, we have football, soccer, basketball. I’ve competed for years in competitions. Why not do it with culinary?”
Students participating in the event crafted their meals using chicken and four vegetables.
A panel of local judges, including Lucia Mar school board president Colleen Martin and Pismo’s Cracked Crab general manager Jamie Habig, evaluated the dishes for both taste and presentation.
Habig told The Tribune he was excited to see the students’ hard work in action.
“I’m just really glad that a program like this exists,” he said. “In the culinary world, it’s easy to fall into restaurants that are subpar. And I think this just gives students here a leg up, which, again, they very justly deserve.”
Who won cooking competition?
Prizes for the winners of the competition included a cutting board handcrafted by Arroyo Grande’s innovation and design students and custom drinking glasses etched by architecture and design students.
Salazar, Ross and Banks came in first in the competition, while students from Atascadero placed second and students from San Luis Obispo came in third.
Lucia Mar career technical education coordinator Kristin Anderson said she hopes the Chop Classic becomes an annual tradition in the district.
“We’re really excited,” Anderson said. “We’re just starting with culinary, but we’re hoping that we can be hosting other events like this for some of our other pathways as well.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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