CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 Five Del Mar College culinary teams are preparing to compete against seasoned professional chefs at the Texas Food Championship this weekend in Corpus Christi.<\/p>\n
The students will face off in categories ranging from seafood to desserts, with just 90 minutes to create restaurant-quality dishes outdoors in Corpus Christi’s heat and humidity.<\/p>\n
Chef Israel Villanueva, who handpicked each competitor, said the competition turned out to be a bigger challenge than he originally anticipated.<\/p>\n
“The whole time we were thinking we’re gonna be collegiate competition to compete against other colleges. It turns out we’re competing in the professional level, my students,” Villanueva said.<\/p>\n
Villanueva said he believes his students can hold their own against the professionals and has high expectations for the teams.<\/p>\n
“Out of the 5 teams, I have high hopes that at least 2 or 3 teams place. Even if they don’t place, we’re going to get them out there, give them confidence. And also for the future, you know, to put them under pressure. I think this is the optimal opportunity for our students to show what they have, to see where they stand,” Villanueva said.<\/p>\n
Annie Rodriguez, captain of one of the dessert teams, said she is competing with a brown butter peach cake and embracing the experience despite the nerves.<\/p>\n
“It’s very terrifying. I’m very excited, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I haven’t taken my plated class yet, so I’m getting a lot of experience,” Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
Seafood team captain Roger Wareham said he is drawing on his military background to manage the pressure.<\/p>\n
“My thought is to me it’s just like any other military mission that I would do. Just make sure our logistics are in place. My team is very good. They know their recipes. They know their timing, so once we have all that down, I feel good, I feel really good,” Wareham said.<\/p>\n
For Wareham, the goal is clear.<\/p>\n
“I’m ready to win this competition and travel on to the world title,” Wareham said.<\/p>\n
Winners receive golden tickets to the World Food Championship in Indianapolis next month.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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