CHANDLER, AZ — Student chefs from across Arizona aren't just making their culinary creations come to life, they're earning big accolades at the same time.
"Free samples if you guys want to try some!"
No, it wasn't Costco — it was the Perry High School cafeteria, part of the Chandler Unified School District.
The day ABC15 stopped by, student chef, Junior Charlie Tugade, was serving up samples of a prize-winning recipe!
"I was crying - I was so proud of myself!" explains Tugade about when she found out she was one of the winners in The Blue Watermelon Project's Feeding the Future competition.
The Blue Watermelon Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to not only improve access to fresh foods in schools but also help students re-think their relationship with food.
ABC15 first highlighted the Blue Watermelon Project's efforts to reimagine school lunches in 2021 — see that coverage here.
The goal of the competition is to have students of all ages at 30 participating schools across Arizona come up with new recipes that not only tantalize the tastebuds but also follow specific federal guidelines.
Tugade won third place at the high school level for her "Deconstructed Lumpia Bowls."
"I love it!" explains classmate Maddie Handschug. "I think Charlie did such a good job!"
"The deconstructed lumpia bowls is where we have brown rice mixed with shredded cabbage and carrots along with chicken and spicy bread to top it off," says Tugade.
Her dish ended up being the perfect combination of culture and cuisine.
"I wanted to do a plain sandwich, but then my teacher said, 'Do something from your culture.' In an instant, I thought of my mom; she always made lumpia."
But it wasn't as easy as coming up with a delicious recipe — Tugade also had to make sure she stuck to a budget, and that wasn't all.
"She had to follow calorie restrictions, sodium restrictions, saturated fat guidelines, so we wanted to make sure her meal was in those guidelines and balanced correctly so we could offer it to our students," explains Bethany Hultstrand, Chandler Unified's registered dietitian.
Tugade was able to work alongside the Perry High School cafeteria staff to make sure her vision was executed just the way she imagined it.
"I made sure to tell them how I wanted it," she explains. "I made sure to give guidance of how I wanted it to look and I helped them prep the food."
Tugade explains it was just like being the executive chef of a restaurant - something Blue Watermelon mentor Tamara Stanger knows something about! Stanger is hoping the competition will help motivate other young women like Charlie to follow food to a new career.
"There are hardly any female executive chefs," explains Stanger. "It's a very small percentage. It's growing, but we need more female representation."
Perry High School Culinary Arts instructor Angela Stutz says she hopes the win, and great responses from her classmates, give Tugade a confidence boost.
"I am very, very proud of her!" Stutz says.
For Tugade, the experience has translated into lessons both inside and outside the kitchen.
"Never give up," says Tugade. "Keep trying. Especially in culinary. Try new things."
Sounds like quite the recipe for success!
In addition to paying tribute to her Filipina roots, Tugade's deconstructed lumpia bowls honor the memory of her mom, who used to make lumpia before passing away when she was younger.
For a full list of Blue Watermelon 2024 Feeding the Future winners, click here.
