After months of honing their culinary skills in the classroom, high school students in the ľֱ’s Aid Culinary Teen Apprenticeship program put their talent to the test in a spirited cooking competition: The Culinary Smackdown.
Held April 18 at The Armory in Washington Heights, the event challenged students ages 14 to 18 to cook a healthy stir-fry dish on the spot using fresh ingredients and teamwork. It was the culmination of a yearlong program that combined weekly cooking classes with lessons on nutrition, food justice, and youth leadership.
“Over the course of the year our students participating in the Culinary Teen Apprenticeship program have learned the basics of cooking,” said Aaron Mandell, program coordinator. “Each class comes with a lesson geared towards the meals we cook, teaching about anything from sugar to balanced meals to pickling veggies.”
Participants came from the Milbank Dunlevy Center, Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School, and Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School. Each team was tasked with creating a recipe using a mix of protein, noodles, and colorful vegetables such as bok choy, snap peas, carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli.
A panel of judges included Chef Raymond Cuadrado, who has worked at several nonprofit organizations; Chef Yadi Garcia, director of programs and innovation at Corbin Hill Food Project; Hailey Miranda, youth team leader at ; and Rhonda Braxton, vice president of health and wellness at ľֱ’s Aid.
Beyond cooking, the competition gave students a platform to present their dishes to the judges and respond to questions—testing both culinary and communication skills. Nos Quedamos also led a presentation on food access in the South Bronx, and students were encouraged to apply for jobs through the Summer Youth Employment Program, including roles assisting with group nutrition and cooking classes in a variety of ľֱ’s Aid sites.
The team from the Milbank Center took home the top prize with a standout stir-fry featuring beef strips, udon noodles, broccoli, bell peppers, and scallions. Judges praised their creativity, confidence, and presentation. Jason, a student at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, was crowned the MVP for his enthusiasm and teamwork. For Mandell, the true reward was seeing the competitors shine under pressure.
“My favorite part has to be the beginning of the cooking competition,” he said. “It made me immensely proud to see all the teens locked in with so much focus from the start, and seeing the great leadership and teamwork skills we have worked on blossom under pressure.”
