Little Chef contestant John Chambers accepts his first-place ribbon from Carrot Festival Queen Michaela Hernandez (right) in the miscellaneous category Monday at the Soroptimist International of Holtville Carrot Festival cooking contest in the Holtville Civic Center. |
HOLTVILLE — For the past eight years Cheyenne Villanueva, 12, has been entering the Carrot Festival cooking contest.
“I want to be a chef,” said Cheyenne, who prepared cheesy potatoes with carrots and chicken for the contest that took place Monday evening at the Civic Center.
This was the first cooking contest of the festival, hosted by the Soroptimist Club and directed toward children.
Adults will have their chance to compete today, Wednesday and Friday.
Last year Cheyenne won first place in the Junior Chef category and this year she did the same. “It’s just fun to cook,” she said.
Meanwhile, Victoria Camacho, 9, and Alexis Piper, 6, got first and second place, respectively, for the Little Chef main dish category.
The Little Chef miscellaneous category was won by John Chambers, 5, who like all the first-place winners, got a wristband for all the free rides he wants in the upcoming carnival.
This was also the first cooking contest he’s entered, said John. Putting the carrots in his carrot raisin salad was his favorite part, he said.
“It’s always fun,” said John’s mother, Karin Chambers, about the event.
The cooking contest encourages people to get involved with the community and, “It’s a fun project,” she said.
The event was also fun for the audience. Many winter visitors attended and, along with dozens of locals, they supported the young culinary artists.
“Every year they prepare something different,” said Eric Engman, a snowbird who’s been coming to this contest for the past three years.
Contestants make “unimaginable dishes with carrots,” he said with a grin.
Chicken pot pie with carrots, healthy carrot pancakes, crunchy carrot balls and sweet carrots were some of the dishes presented.
“Anything with carrots is good,” said Keith Larson, a snowbird from Alberta, Canada. “We try a little bit of everything,” he said.
And that’s because after the contest all the food was available for attendees to taste.
“This is great,” said Larson as he tasted some carrots with chicken.
“So far it’s wonderful,” said Laura Goodsell, president of the Holtville Chamber of Commerce. “Good food, good fun, good people. It was a success.”
Contestant Annie Britschgi, 9, was standing close by.
“Even if I (didn’t) win,” Annie said with a smile, “I still participated.”
Staff Writer Alejandro Davila can be reached at 760-337-3445 or adavila@ivpressonline.com
