Clearlake >> Chopped, Cake Wars, Cutthroat Kitchen. Anyone who has ever flipped to the Food Network, be they self-professed foodies or curious couch surfers, has likely experienced the addictive energy of these cooking competition shows. So when it came time for the Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus Culinary Arts program to create a scholarship opportunity, they took their cue from one of the Network’s most popular programs — Iron Chef.
Iron Chef sees two competitors face off for a panel of judges who taste each chef’s prepared dishes — spectacular items they were required to construct in a short time period nonetheless — and declare a winner at the end of the episode.
In that spirit, tonight at the Aromas Cafe on the Clearlake campus two students will be going head-to-head in Future Chefs of Lake County, a culinary scholarship competition. And like Iron Chef, the students will be presented with a secret ingredient partway through the competition, one they will be required to incorporate into their dish. They’re calling it a culinary curve ball.
And if things aren’t going to be frantic enough, the student chefs only have one hour to complete and plate three dishes for three judges and a fourth plate for show. Judges select the winner based on presentation, creative use of ingredients and taste. “There’s quite a bit of pressure,” said Robert Cabreros, the Chef Instructor for the Culinary Arts program.
The two brave student chefs taking on this challenge are Bianca Arias and Paloma Ildefonso, both Woodland Lake County Freshmen. To make it as fair as possible, the two competitors were selected by a committee of campus administrative staff. In order to be considered for the competition, applicants were required to be at least a part-time students in good academic standing, pursuing a major or a certificate of achievement in Culinary Arts. They also had to write personal statements detailing their achievements, plans and career goals, extracurricular activities and why they deserved the scholarship. On top of that, they had to prove their cooking skills were up to snuff by creating a recipe for an entree composed of chicken, a starch and a vegetable side dish.
Though they may only be freshmen, Arias and Ildefonso aren’t new to the culinary competition game. Just two weeks ago they traveled to Southern California for the California Community College Student Competition, which brought together culinary students from all over the state. There, Ildefonso took home second place in the Hot Food category and Arias was just one point shy of snagging third in the cake category.
The winner of tonight’s showdown will take home a $1,000 scholarship, while the runner up will walk away with $500.
The competition is sponsored by the Wine Alliance and tickets for seats in the Aromas Cafe to watch Ildefonso and Arias duke it out include a flight of three local wines. “We’ve been a beneficiary for the Wine Alliance for the last three years and this is our way of creating an interesting and fun scholarship opportunity for our students,” Cabreros said.
Not only that, but the college is in the midst of organizing a Wine Appreciation and Hospitality Curriculum, which they envision as a certificate that will compliment the Culinary Arts program. Cabreros explained that hospitality and culinary professions in the area are expected to grow by 10-15 percent over the next five years. As such, the new curriculum will be a great asset for students looking for employment at restaurants, hotels and wine establishments, among other businesses. “Lake County is in the interesting position now where hospitality knowledge as well as culinary knowledge is an awesome benefit,” said Cabreros.
Woodland Community College Lake County Campus will put together an advisory committee of wine professionals whose input will launch the curriculum, which will discuss wine appreciation and the various types of hospitality. Cabreros doesn’t intend to teach the certification program, but as an educator with experience creating curriculum, he’s vital to setting it in motion.
But for now, tonight’s Iron Chef-style competition between Arias and Ildefonso is most pressing. And his advice for the two students? “Work hard, work strong and work clean.”
Future Chefs of Lake County begins tonight at 6 p.m. in the Aromas Cafe. Tickets for seating in the cafe are $40. Tickets are also available for a classroom viewing party, where the competition will be streamed live from inside the cafe. All proceeds from the event go to the Culinary Club. Call 995-7310 or email tseifert@yccd.edu for tickets. Aromas Cafe is located at 15880 Dam Rd. Ext in Clearlake.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached 900-2019.
