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Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
A contest to crown L.A.'s best community college culinary program
As a graduate of Orange Coast College, I'm honored to speak to community college students whenever I can. That's why I was more than happy to accept an invitation months ago to be a judge at something called the Culinary Cup, which happened Friday at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar. I figured I'd taste a couple of dishes, say some inspirational words, and that would be that. Oh, how wonderfully wrong I was. The Culinary Cup is a tournament between Mission College, L.A. Trade-Tech College, and L.A. Harbor College going on five years. Hundreds of people streamed into Mission College's huge Culinary Arts Institute building to cheer on the dozens of students ready to face off in three categories centered around Caribbean cuisine: savory, pastry and tablescaping — the art of setting a table that's as exacting as it sounds. I was assigned to tablescaping along with Greg Martayan, representing the Valley Economic Alliance. We were asked to judge as meticulously as possible, down to inspecting glasses to make sure there were no water spots and looking for any stray wrinkle on a folded napkin. 'Looks like it's going to be a 15,000-calorie day!' Martayan joked as we pregamed on Bananas Foster French toast and strawberry tarts. The competition itself was less 'Top Chef' and more of an open house. Guests peered into industrial kitchens to see students prepare their dishes, or sat in on demos ranging from how to make Belizean stewed chicken over coconut rice to an ice sculpture presentation by Trade-Tech professor Martin Gilligan. The president of each college strolled around in chef's jackets. Other Mission College departments also participated: The school's choir sang calypso and reggae standards while wearing tie-dyed shirts, and photography students staged dishes to take photos worthy of Serious Eats. Instructors stood by to cheer and mentor participants. One of them was Diamond Bar Golf Course executive chef Fionna España, who was in charge of the tablescaping competition. 'It's humbling, but it makes [students] say, 'I need to do better,'' she replied when I asked what was the value in having students compete against each other. 'It's a good thing because in the world, judging is happening constantly.' Success stories were everywhere. One of them was 53-year-old Sam Arenas, who played baseball for Mission College 30 years ago before embarking on a successful career in car sales. He recently retired to reenroll at Mission College and pursue his true passion: food. He wants to open a restaurant based on his grandmother's recipes. 'This is a great way to be under pressure but still have fun,' Arenas told me over shouts of 'Behind!' and 'Corner!' He was finishing up a Jamaican beef patty with colors that represented the country's flag: a crust tinted black from activated charcoal, spinach sauce and a mango chutney. 'To be able to start over in my career is just a blessing. But an even better blessing would be if our team wins!' Upstairs, Linden Grabowski was making nonalcoholic cocktails in the VIP reception — I especially liked her ginger-spiked Jamaican punch. Last year, the Santa Clarita resident was part of Mission College's tablescaping team. She's going to transfer to a four-year university after finishing degrees in culinary arts, restaurant management and professional baking. 'If you were to have told me two years ago I'd be at this point, I wouldn't have believed you,' Grabowski said. Political heavyweights showed up, like San Fernando Mayor Mary Mendoza, L.A. Community College District trustees David Vela and Kelsey Iino, and even longtime Congressman Tony Cárdenas, who retired last year. I caught him in line waiting for jerk chicken, picanha and lobster. I asked if he had ever been invited to judge. Cárdenas immediately shook his head no. 'You have a bunch of competitors and just one winner. You don't need a bunch of people mad at you.' The competition ended with a delicious buffet lunch attended by 500 people. I unfortunately had to leave before the winners were announced, so didn't have the chance to congratulate Mission College, which swept all the categories and thus won the Golden Chef's Hat Trophy. Harbor College will host next year — see you there! Andrea says, 'Ripple by Grateful Dead.'Pamela says, 'Dancing Queen by Abba.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Today's great photo is from Friends of Big Bear Valley at the nest of two eaglets, Sunny and Gizmo, who are expected to fly for the first time soon. Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CBS Adds Padma Lakshmi Cooking Competition to 2025-26 Schedule
It's time for Padma Lakshmi to unpack her knives. The former Top Chef host is next set to preside over America's Culinary Cup, a cooking competition series ordered Thursday at CBS for its 2025-26 season, TVLine has learned. More from TVLine Watson Adds The Haves and the Have Nots' Tika Sumpter as John's Love Interest (Exclusive) Emmys 2025: Comedian Nate Bargatze Set to Host CBS' September Telecast Vampires and Pirates and Illegal Abalone, Oh My! Why NCIS: Sydney Is a Perfect Friday-Night Hang Lakshmi serves as host, creator and executive producer of the championship-style competition, which, per its official synopsis, will feature 'an invitation-only cast of the nation's most decorated chefs as they embark on a one-of-a-kind competition designed to challenge their creativity, endurance, presentation, leadership and more.' 'We're inviting elite chefs from across the country to represent their unique culinary style and battle it out,' Lakshmi said in a statement. 'This competition echoes the thrill of sports and the American spirit as we cheer on our favorite chefs. I'm very excited to work with CBS and partner with Susan [Rovner] on America's Culinary Cup.' Lakshmi is best known for emceeing Bravo's culinary competition Top Chef, which she departed in 2023 after hosting since the show's debut in 2006; she has since been replaced by Kristen Kish, who won Top Chef's 10th season. Lakshmi has also hosted the food-centric Hulu docuseries Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, and has made guest appearances on shows like 30 Rock, Royal Pains and RuPaul's Drag Race. CBS' 2025-26 lineup is currently taking shape, with only The Equalizer and Poppa's House remaining as the network's yet-to-be-renewed scripted series. Meanwhile, the FBI franchise's International and Most Wanted iterations have both been cancelled (as has S.W.A.T.), making some room on the schedule for a whole lot of potential spinoffs (including already-ordered offshoots of Blue Bloods and Fire Country). Will you give a taste? Tell us below. 2025 Renewal and Cancellation Scorecard! View List Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
