Hear from the Winning Student Chefs of Chicago Vocational Career Academy

 

The winning student chefs of CVCA with their culinary instructors David Fuller and Lorraine Harris and team mentor Chef Matt Eversman of OON Chicago

Congratulations to the winning student chefs of Cooking up Change! The culinary students of Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA) won top honors with their flavorful lunch of oven-fried chicken with sides of sweet potato salad and collard greens and cabbage. Students explain that the tasty meal combines tradition with extra cajun spice that appeals to students.

We had a chance to chat with the winning chefs and were wowed by their motivation, teamwork and approach to healthy cooking!

On sharing tastes of their meal with guests at Cooking up Change:
"The best part was seeing everyone come back to our table and try our food. . . it felt good. I was so excited." ~ Ciara, student chef

On teamwork:
"We just complemented each other. We listened to each other and didn't talk over each other." ~ Tatiana, student chef

On what it means to win:
"When they said our name, I was crying. It just felt so good. . . [I knew] that would make our school look good. We just won a culinary competition: we are accomplishing something." ~Jerome, student chef

On meeting teams from other schools:
"Everybody was happy to be in the competition. Everyone was working hard. It felt great." ~ Kaliah, student chef

On big lessons:
"I learned teamwork. I learned to work together, work hard, stay focused." ~ Diamonte, student chefte

On preparing for the national finals in Washington, DC:
"We'll keep cooking from our hearts and believing we can make it anywhere." ~Sheanice, student chef

Congratulations once again to all the remarkable student chefs. Stay posted for more updates from the teams!

 

Comments

[Phyllis Dugar]

That is so very nice. My great and wonderful sister is fulfilling her dream. I am so very proud of you and I love what you are doing for the young people. They look good.

[Cynthia Jones Walker]

Congratulations to the Culinary Department of CVCA, formerly CVS - my alma mater! Great things have always managed to come through this institution. Keep up the great work; stay motivated and focused on the lifelong prize!