Amidst the cold weather on December 12th, Argo Community High School’s Culinary III students were heating up with fierce competition! The students were invited to participate in an annual culinary contest sponsored by the PepsiCo corporation, to demonstrate their mastery of the culinary arts. As each team of contestants faced their keen peers, they eagerly prepped themselves in embodying the essence of a chef.
Regarding the sponsor, PepsiCo is a multinational food company, with one location that specializes in Quaker Oats products in Bridgeview, Illinois. Recently, students involved in the contest were allowed a tour of the site, as it would further aid them in the creative basis of the competition. In cooperation with a partner, students had to incorporate a Quaker product into a signature dish.
Subsequently, on the day of the event, workers from the PepsiCo organization would take on the roles of judges, with the intention of finding a winner for the competition.
Once the students finally stepped into the kitchen, they quickly began to work. As Erica Swanson, a CTE teacher at Argo, informed them of a 40-minute countdown to prepare their dish and set up their food presentation, dashing motions of white chef jackets adorned the kitchen, each with a precise eye on winning.
“I was nervous, but it was a good nervous,” said Sarah Morgan, a Senior student in the competition. “I was trying to focus on getting the food cooked, plated, and decorating the table before everyone arrived.”
The determination of each student was undeniable as they handled and cooked respective ingredients with poise. To any onlooker, it looked like a sculptor carving each detail to precision each time one garnished or placed any finishing touches on a dish. With such culinary skills, teams were able to achieve a gourmet look within their plate and also the feeling of warmth that inspired such recipes.
“[The Quaker oatmeal] adds a home feeling to [the dish],” said Jason Braho, one of the student participants. “I grew up eating the two, and [the dish] revolves around the silky flavor of the oatmeal to the sweet nutty flavor.”
Although tensions were high, students didn’t let that affect their relationship with one another. Each team was friendly, cracking jokes during preparations and joining each other to discuss their nervousness during judging. Senior student at Argo, Sebastian Gonzalez, further acknowledged the importance of communication as he explained his respect for teammate, Fathi Fhied.
“We got [our recipe] in the first two days, because we were very clear in what we wanted to do”, said Gonzalez. “Just being able to communicate with Fathi made it easy to get our vision across.”
Before announcing the winner of the PepsiCo competition, Swanson gave thanks to the corporation while also praising her students for their hard work. It was then declared that Team 3 consisting of Gonzalez and Fhied had won the contest and would walk away with a 500-dollar scholarship split evenly between the two. As the audience applauded the culinary class and the winners, it served as reminder that students were able to do anything when they worked hard.
“If there’s something you want to do in your future, just do it,” said a joyous Fhied. “Don’t let anyone tell you anything else.”
