Five Centralia elementary students competed in the Future Chefs National Challenge on Tuesday. The challenge, which took place at Centralia High School, involved each student cooking a healthy recipe submitted prior to entering the competition.
The first place winner, Ezra Myers, a sixth grader, made fruit salsa with cinnamon chips.
“Me and my mom tried it and it was really good,” Ezra said when asked why he chose his recipe.
Ezra entered the competition after he saw a flier and thought it would be fun to cook and, moreso, to win pots and other prizes if he finished at the top of the competition.
When asked by The Chronicle how it felt to win the competition, Ezra responded, “good.”
Placing second in the competition was Juan Garduno-Aviles, a sixth grader, who made gazpacho.
“I like eating gazpacho,” Juan said when asked why he chose his recipe.
Juan added he wanted to take part in the competition because it seemed fun. He intends to encourage other students to participate next year.
In third place was fifth grader AnjellaRose Heikkila with a berry cheesecake recipe.
“I really like cheesecake,” AnjellaRose said. “I made it at home and it was super easy to make.”
AnjellaRose saw the competition as a chance to showcase her passion for baking and cooking. Despite the praise and placement, her favorite part of the competition was the time spent cooking, she said.
Also competing were fifth grader Aaralynn Blankenship and sixth grader Rachel Meade.
Aaralynn made broccoli and cauliflower salad.
“When we went on camping trips, (my mom) made this and everyone loved it and I love it so I decided to make it today,” Aaralynn said.
According to Aaralynn, she entered the competition because she has fun baking and cooking at home. Wise beyond her years, she also said it costs less to make food at home than to eat out.
Beyond the thrill of making the food, Aaralynn said she enjoyed the camaraderie and learning from her peers while they cooked.
After intensive research with her dad, Rachel said, she settled on making bruschetta.
“I’ve always liked cooking stuff, I’ve liked it since I was little,” Rachel said when asked why she wanted to take part in the competition.
Rachel added she had fun and would recommend students enter the competition next year.
To enter the event, students had to fill out an application and provide a recipe that matched a theme. This year’s theme was “healthy fruit or vegetable side dish.”
The five competitors were selected out of a group of about 100 applicants.
The competition is sponsored by the food services company Sodexo.
