Elgin High culinary team preps for weekend national competition

Four Elgin High School culinary students compete this weekend in the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island, after recently taking first place in the state contest.

It's the first time seniors Karen Nava, Zenia Santellan Delapaz, Brian Onofre, and Jacqueline Prado will compete at nationals. They are the cream of the crop of Elgin High's culinary program, said Brenda Martinez, Elgin High School's advanced culinary instructor.

Nearly 400 student competitors will put their skills to the test in front of industry professionals, and representatives of national and state restaurant associations, vying for scholarships from the nation's premier culinary and restaurant management programs. ProStart is the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's high school culinary program.

Elgin High's team qualified after beating eight other culinary teams in the Illinois ProStart Invitational Feb. 24 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Students had 60 minutes, two induction burners, no running water or use of electric gadgets to prepare their meal.

At nationals, the students will have 20 minutes to prep their cooking station and 60 minutes to prepare a three-course meal again using only two induction burners, no running water or electric gadgets. They will be evaluated on taste, skill, technique, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

"We all knew this was going to be really crazy," said Delapaz, 18. "It's not pressure, but the adrenaline that hits you. But it's fun."

Onofre, 17, the only male on the team and the youngest, said his teammates watch over him and have his back.

"(Cooking) de-stresses me," he said. "It just takes away the problems I have."

Teamwork and completely trusting one another is key to working well together, said Prado, 18. "You all become very close at the end."

The most nerve-racking part of the contest is when 30 minutes are left on the clock and pressure is on, said Nava, 18.

Working under pressure, time management and communication are skills they have developed over this past year of cooking together.

For the contest, students will prepare a Mediterranean menu: an appetizer of carrot and white bean harissa with honey glazed carrots and pan-seared scallops; a main course of chicken roulade with prosciutto, spinach and manchego cheese and quinoa and wheat berry tabbouleh with grapes tossed in Berber vinaigrette and yogurt sauce; and a citrus ricotta fritter and lemon crème fresh ice cream with caramel tuile for dessert.

"It's not like your grandma's meal anymore," said Martinez, who competed at nationals as a student and helped coordinate last year's ProStart state contest. "It's very much like what you would get at a fine dining restaurant. The level of rigor has increased."

The students have been practicing daily since March for nationals. During one trial session this week, the foursome hustled to prepare the menu from scratch furiously zesting, chopping, peeling, skinning, whipping, and churning under conditions similar to what they will face in competition. They finished five seconds over their time limit.

Martinez and other judges debriefed them before and after the session, providing critique and reminders for what needs improving.

"The training wheels are coming off," she said. "They are handling it better than I would have. They know what they want. They're ambitious."

Previous Elgin High teams have won several state contests, but only made it to 11th place at nationals. The team will compete 11 a.m. Sunday.

Win or lose, the students say their will pursue their passion for cooking after graduation. They plan to attend culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago this fall.