High school chefs test their skills in local culinary competition | News

The ROP’s Advanced Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program prepares students for careers in the food service industry and provides a foundation for advanced training in college-level hotel and restaurant courses. Enrolled students can earn high school credit while gaining valuable job skills and certifications.

Tuesday’s cook-off comes after a year’s worth of training and a series of competitions which narrowed down the group’s top six culinary students. The majority of these finalists were seniors from Live Oak High School’s culinary arts class, aside from Belle Zenko who attends CORE Charter School in Marysville. The other competitors included Emilia Allan, Jena Emerson, Ruqiaya Khan, Brianna Ramirez, and Ruben Ruiz.

Ramirez was particularly passionate about sharing her Puerto Rican culture through cooking.

“I always help my grandma cook at home and I love making food for my family and friends,” said Ramirez excitedly. “So when I heard about this course, I thought why not.”

Emerson said she prefers home cooking but may be interested in opening a cafe someday. Zemko and Khan cater toward Italian cuisine, Allan loves baking, and Ruiz prefers steak.

With just one hour to prepare a full meal, the six young chefs entered the Boyd Hall kitchen and quickly tore into bags full of mystery groceries. Out dumped fresh greens, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken and steak. In addition to this, the students had access to an entire pantry of oils, spices, and sauces.  

Within minutes, the hall was filled with mouth-watering smells and a barrage of hungry onlookers. To supplement the school’s kitchen, a large state-of-the-art food truck was parked outside to give the students more room and access to other cooking machines and outdoor grills. 

As the teens chopped away at their dishes, instructors and parents gathered to chat and discuss future culinary opportunities. ROP instructor Steve Alvarado is head of this culinary arts program and owner of the highly rated Esteban’s restaurant in Live Oak. Alvarado said he was excited to be teaching in-person again and was impressed with the capabilities of all the students. 

Live Oak High School Principal Anthony Walton also was there to serve as one of the five judges. 

“I’ve tasted all their work and I’ve never had a bad dish,” said Walton. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to pick, they’re all winners.” 

Kyla Kirby, with Sutter County Superintendent of Schools, said her favorite part, aside from eating, was watching the students’ progression throughout the year, 

“This is definitely something I wish I’d had as a teenager,” said Kirby. “The skills they’re learning are so important and it’s really prepared them for future employment opportunities.”

About half the students credited their moms for inspiring them to cook at home, while the other half claimed to have never laid hands in a kitchen outside of class. Regardless of their experience, within 60 minutes six plates of gourmet quality dishes were placed in front of the judges table. 

The categories for judging included presentation, creativity, taste, and judges choice. Former Yuba County Supervisor John Nicoletti was among the judges and is also a culinary instructor for English as a second language students. Nicoletti said his judging process starts with a quick overview of the cuts and apparent knife skills of the plate followed by overall visuals and taste. 

“I try to just go through each category quickly, and tick them off without overthinking it,” explained Nicoletti. “I was actually surprised by what my top pick was after that, point wise.” 

The entrees included steak and potatoes, chicken and veggie saute, spicy chicken lettuce wrap, fajita nachos, and chicken cutlets. The winners were as follows: Ruiz in third for his fajita nachos, Khan in second for her spicy chicken lettuce wrap, and Allan in first for her garlic steak with sauteed peppers and bacon Brussels sprouts. Allan was also recently nominated as the Tri-County ROP student of the year, earning her a $1,000 scholarship.

Superintendent Tom Reusser, along with other staff, said they hope to continue expanding this program with more public access to the students’ culinary creations and possibly adding adult classes in the evening. Reusser also mentioned the possibility of a partnership being formed with other community organizations to foster a student-crafted senior meals program.

“This is still in the works,” said Reusser. “They do that meal program all over, yet nobody ever uses culinary students, so I think that holds a lot of potential.”