On Nov. 15, the second annual chop classic competition was hosted by AGHS on their campus. The competition consisted of eight teams– one to three members each– that competed through cooking pre-planned dishes within an hour. The dishes needed to include four of seven assigned ingredients, the main one being a chicken breast.
The competition kicked off with each team picking one representative to pick a paper with a letter– A through H– to determine cooking order.
Teams began cooking with five-minute interval starting times.
Team A- Arroyo Grande High School #1
Team A was the first to hit the kitchen and consisted of three AGHS students: Ben Harrison, Conor Reed, and Lily Vukasovich. Each of them has been cooking for two years in the AGHS culinary program, and it was their first time competing in a cooking competition.
Despite their high nerves, they had a calm approach and knew what needed to happen.
“[We need to] be precise and confident,” Reed said. “Practice makes perfect, and we are going to show that off.”
The dish they prepared was a shredded chicken enchilada casserole with housemade salsa verde and a pomegranate apple slaw on the side. They had an advantage as the first team to start cooking and the first team to be judged.
“We had the ability to get more stuff [with] nobody in the way,” Reed said.
This advantage, mixed with prior experience cooking the dish, led to a record pace.
“When we first tried [making] this dish and pulled it out of the oven, we had eight minutes left; this time we had 20 when we pulled it out,” Harrison said.
Team B- Pioneer Valley High School #1
Team B came from Pioneer Valley High School (PVHS) and consisted of three members: Edith Belmontez, Alejandro Alviar, and Fernanda Barajas Vargas.
The dish they prepared was a fried chicken breast with a slice of toasted bread and a chopped salad on the side.
They had been cooking together for a month and a half.
“We have great communication skills in the kitchen,” Belmontez said.
After they had finished cooking, they felt happy with their results.
“We worked really well and had extra time to spare,” Alviar said.
They hoped the judges would appreciate their dish and the effort put in.
“We all did our part, and our dish looked really good at the end,” Vargas said. “I hope the judges place us at a high expectation so when they try other dishes, they [compare it] to Team B”
Team C- Santa Maria CTE #1
Team C was the first of two teams from Santa Maria CTE, and the competitors were Adriana Salvador and Ytzel Cruz.
They prepared a honey cilantro lime chicken with a tropical salad, jasmine lime rice, and pan sauce.
During the competition, they were focused on their own results above all else.
“We didn’t focus on the other teams’ dishes,” Salvador said. “But we did see some other plates and they looked amazing.”
When the competition ended, Team C was still looking to improve.
“I think we could have made our rice a little better, but other than that, everything looked perfect,” Cruz said.
Team D- Pioneer Valley High School #2
Team D also came from PHVS and followed the standard team of three model. The members included: Keila Cruz, Reneta Castillo-Diaz, and Bethany Rodriguez-Gamino.
They prepared a chicken breast seasoned with cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Alongside the chicken was an apple pomegranate Pico de Gallo, and lime parsley jasmine rice with an avocado salsa.
They worked together and cooked the dish numerous times for a month prior to the competition to prepare. During that time, each member figured out what they needed to do in the kitchen.
“We are all equals. We like to hear each other out and make sure everyone’s heard,” Cruz said.
Once the competition started, this dynamic was on full display.
“We were communicating well and all the jitters went away,” Castillo said.
Team E- Atascadero High School
Team E, the only team from Atascadero High School, was a two-member team consisting of Molly Brewster and Alejandra Velasco.
They prepared a chicken breast roulade filled with spinach, sausage, and apple on a buttery pearl couscous and roasted medley of bok choy and broccoli.
Before the competition, their stress was high.
“[Our stress is] a nine out of ten,” Brewster said.
After the competition began, they kicked it into high gear and got through all the steps quickly and efficiently.
By the time their plates were taken to the judges, all of their stress had melted away, and all that was left were their results.
“I wasn’t as nervous once we got going,” Velasco said.
Furthermore, this team had a unique advantage, as Brewster had competed in the competition last year.
Team F- Paso Robles High School
Team F, from Paso Robles High School, was originally a team of two; however, on competition day, Sky Dawsey had to cook alone.
The original plan for the dish was a roasted butternut squash soup with a basil pesto chicken sandwich. However, the sandwich plan had to be cut, leaving just the soup and a panko-crusted chicken alongside it.
Despite this setback, Dawsey succeeded in all she set out for by finishing her dish solo. She felt confident with her results.
“I’m really happy with my results,” Dawsey said. “I did really good for being by myself.”
Team G- Santa Maria CTE #2
The second team from Santa Maria CTE consisted of David Lopez Garcia, Eduardo Cana, and Araceli Matamoros Pascual.
The dish they prepped for the judges was a honey garlic chicken with cilantro lime cream sauce alongside a butternut squash mash, broccoli, and pomegranate.
The team went in with confidence, but found trouble when they hit the kitchen. In the last few seconds of their allotted time, their food was still being taken off the fire and being plated.
In the end, they succeeded in completing their dish, sent it off to the judges, and waited for their results.
Team H- AGHS #2
The final, and second AGHS, team was another three person group with: Layla Owen, Nicholas Reyes, and Ray Guerra.
They prepared a blackened chicken with pomegranate glaze and a veggie stir fry. They hit the kitchen running. They were the last team to start and every other team already had time and space to prepare their meals, whereas they entered with the disadvantage of everyone else already in the kitchen.
They had practiced the dish multiple times in preparation for the event and in that time, they learned all of the different techniques they could improve and what they needed to do.
“We keep learning new things [about] how we want the chicken and the sauce,” Owen said.
Results
In the end, after a while of deliberation, the judges finally produced results.
There was a unique occurrence this year: an unbreakable tie for second place between Team A and Team F.
The winners this year were Moll Brester and Alejandra Velasco, from Atascadero.
“I’m in disbelief; I didn’t think we were going to win,” Brewster said.
While this may not have been their initial goal– they only hoped to do well– it was a welcome surprise.
“It’s not necessarily what I hoped for, but I’m really happy it happened,” Velasco said.
