DMV Celebrity Chefs Judge National K12 National Cook-Off In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Three culinary stars from the DMV judged dishes prepared by five young student chefs from across the country on Friday as part of the K12 National Cook-Off.

Adam Hoffa, executive chef at Ballston’s Pirouette Café & Wine Shop and Isabel Coss of Pascual on Capitol Hill in D.C., joined Brian MacNair, CEO of Kitchen of Purpose, watching the young chefs compete in a version of the Food Network show “Chopped."

More than 400 students entered this year’s K12 National Cook-Off, with just five finalists to compete Friday at the Kitchen of Purpose in Westmont. The winner will take home $1,000.

K12 National Cook-Off Finalists

● Jackalynn B., a 12th grader at Hoosier College and Career Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana
● Abijah Sol L. M., a sixth-grade student at California Virtual Academy in Simi Valley, California.
● Caleb M., a sixth-grader at Destinations Career Academy of Georgia in Atlanta, Georgia
● Isla P., a ninth-grade student at Texas Virtual Academy of Hallsville in Lewisville, Texas
● Stella R., a ninth-grader at Golden Valley Charter School in Ventura, California

During Friday’s competition, each student chef had just one hour to prepare an entrée using randomly selected ingredients. They then had an additional 30 minutes to make a dessert using a random fruit.

The five contestant’s dishes would be judged on taste, presentation, creativity of ingredients, time allotted, food safety, and mise en place.

Each of the finalists will be featured in their own K12 National Cook-Off episode, which can be viewed on the competition’s YouTube channel. Voting for the People’s Choice winner will take place July 23-29, with the winner announced during the cook-off’s sixth and final episode on July 31.

Judges Followed Different Paths To Culinary Success

Earlier in the week, Hoffa, Coss and MacNair said they were enthused about being judges in the competition, because it reminded them of their own early interest in food and the culinary arts.

Hoffa, who grew up in Goose Creek, South Carolina, was fortunate enough to have a culinary arts program in his high school. From there, he was able to go to culinary school when he was older, which put him on the track to becoming an executive chef.

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“More and more, especially in younger kids, being a chef and learning to cook is something that's a viable career,” Hoffa said. “Everybody's going to eat. You'll always have work.”

Although MacNair was cooking as a young boy with his Italian mother in New York City, he never imagined that he would have a career in the culinary world. It wasn’t until his late 20s, when he rediscovered his love for home cooking.

“I was on the line for a while, when I volunteered at DC Central Kitchen as a cook,” he said. “That year, I was a chef down here at the Hilton, and that's when my passions collided. All of a sudden, working in the nonprofit sector and watching people's lives change in the culinary arts, it just collided at DC Central Kitchen. I've been blessed to be in that space ever since.”

MacNair went on to become the first executive chef at World Central Kitchen, working with Chef Jose Andres in providing food and humanitarian assistance to those in need across the globe.

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Now, as the CEO of Kitchen of Purpose, MacNair is focused on training the next generation of chefs and food entrepreneurs.

“Our core is five culinary classes a year and two food lab classes,” he said. “If people are interested in starting their own business, they can come here. Graduates have an opportunity to apply for free kitchen space in our second shared kitchens, so we’re helping start small businesses.”

Coss' path to becoming a chef began at the end of another artistic pursuit.

“I trained in ballet for many years,” she said. “It's one of those arts that require a lot of discipline and time. I didn't know what to be when I grew up. When I quit ballet, that was a big step, because it was a professional career that I was doing.”

Growing up in Mexico City, Coss was surrounded by food, something considered “forbidden” for anyone who wanted to be a ballet dancer.

“I was so excited about trying new food and trying candies,” she said. “I like the joy and creativity in seeing food and dishes.”

Cooking was also something that was both solitary and teamlike, which Coss liked. A cook worked alone, improving what they were doing to make the whole team better.

“I started doing an internship, and then they hired me,” she said. “I just wanted to be in the food, in the kitchen. As soon as I was in that environment, I realized that I love restaurants, and it was kind of like dancing again. There's movement. There's many things happening at the same time.”