Food Truck Wars: CPS students battle for the best food truck recipe

Josue Cervantes acquired to prepare dinner from the females in his family. His mom shared recipes from her mom and his grandmother shared his terrific-grandmother’s recipes. Now, Josue needs to open up his very own restaurant someday.

“I’ve normally told (my mom) that I want to bring back again hidden gems that are not seriously represented right here in the United States and that are commonly located in Mexico,” stated Josue, 17. “I want to … convey out new flavors and carry out a new palette into men and women so they could have a minor bit of an insight of what Mexico truly is.”

Josue has been refining his skills through CPS’s Job and Specialized Training Plan at North-Grand Superior College, 4338 W. Wabansia Ave. in Humboldt Park.

The specialized method normally takes classes from every day classes, these types of as math and science, to provide education in serious-earth workplaces, like the culinary and hospitality fields.

“If they go to culinary artwork faculty or any other pathway, the capabilities they are finding out are transferable and important to our college students,” explained Sherry Franklin, CPS Tutorial Assistance Professional.

On Friday, Josue and a team of five others demonstrated some of individuals abilities at a meals truck-themed competitors in opposition to a few other universities.

Each college pitched enterprise designs for a truck alongside with a menu. Then, they provided samples, which the college students had cooked that morning at faculty.

Manley Occupation Academy’s Burrito Infant truck highlighted breakfast burrito bowls Roberto Clemente School’s truck, named Things It, provided hen gyros. North-Grand decided to perform up 90’s babies nostalgia.

“We wished to provide back again some hidden recollections locked inside us youngsters and grown ups,” reported Josue. He said the goal was to evoke the feeling of observing cartoons on a Saturday morning. So they created The Krusty Sponge, showcasing SpongeBob SquarePants-encouraged krabby patties (a veggie burger offered in the cartoon).

That effort earned North-Grand honors for finest foodstuff truck style, for their colorful burgers and lemonade, as effectively as ideal pitch.

But it was Vaughn Occupational’s broad assortment of ice lotions — hand-churned and manufactured with herbs from their hydroponic backyard garden — that received ideal recipe.

Judges involved reps from close to the culinary industry, which includes Hill Food items Expert services Consulting, Aramark Foods Solutions and Everfi, which features a application in which pupils operate a simulated meals truck.

“One detail I was searching for was the depth of thought that went into the principle they wanted to carry to this food items truck,” stated Jonathan Barnes, a decide from Everfi. “Food vans are tremendous well known so we ended up hunting for really progressive concepts, but also truly terrific meals.”

Barnes said the ice product from Vaughn was some of the greatest he’d ever tasted.

“You can style the exciting that they experienced creating it and the tricky perform they set into acquiring the correct stability and the correct combos,” he stated.

Anthony McPhee, application director at Occupations as a result of Culinary Arts Systems, was shocked the college students experienced hand-churned the ice cream.

“It preferences scrumptious,” he stated. “This would effortlessly be a $3 to $5 bowl. And they have their personal backyard — that is a superior case in point of farm-to-table appropriate there.”

Anna City from Everfi urged the pupils to seek out out far more prospects to get included in the culinary arts industry. “Keep trying and maintain functioning on it. It’s these a worthwhile vocation discipline that I truly feel like all these kids could genuinely do well in.”

Quite a few learners on Friday shared tales comparable to Josue’s. Vaughn’s Gustavo Patino, 22, turned fascinated in culinary soon after observing his mother cook dinner for the household. Tatianna Bowlton, 17, from Clemente, used to abide by her grandfather all over in the kitchen area. And Antonio Anderson, 17, who attends Manley, said his mother made use of to ask for his assistance when he was tiny.

That is why Tatianna mentioned there had been no really hard feelings towards the winners.

“We’re nevertheless very pleased,” said Tatianna, including that Friday was more about the experience than strolling absent with a prize.

But she and all the other learners had been shocked when Dr. Brian Hill, operator of Hill Food Provider Consulting, stated they would every single get $100 to obtain monogrammed chef’s jackets.

“I want a pink one particular,” Tatianna reported, laughing.