Excitement is brewing at Lindbergh High School for the “Chopped Challenge”. This challenge is based on a TV show.

The show Chopped inspired Ms. Miller to do this challenge as a fun way to see how good each student’s skills have become throughout the cooking trimester and to take notes by writing down ingredients. James commented, “When you get timed, you start to feel anxiety because you feel like you are getting rushed.”

Before getting started, the other hard part was the ingredients, which were chicken, potato, and corn. When they got it, they did not expect corn, so they made it simple. They season the chicken and a pre-heated potato, and they boil it. After that, they chop it up. Then, they mix some salsa with the corn and a little bit of black pepper and put the mixed salsa on top of the cut-up potato to give it a taste.

The nervous part was it tasted great because there would be teachers around the school who didn’t have class and would come through to try a bite and then maybe talk to them about how they may improve or what’s missing.

James said that throughout this second trimester, he had the most fun making food especially making the pizza, learning things he did not know, and creating a strong bond with his group. He enjoyed eating the delicious food he made with his group during the trimester. 

Even though James has a deep passion for cooking and takes great pleasure in learning new techniques in class. He sees cooking not merely as an activity, but as a fulfilling hobby that brings him joy. Although he truly loves it, he has no desire to pursue a career as a professional chef in the future.