5 Students in Finals of Culinary Contest

Five San Fernando Valley high school seniors have advanced to the finals of a citywide high school culinary arts competition.

In the contest to be held June 5, the students will battle to prove whose chicken breast is best. They’ll also have to make dessert crepes and a chocolate sauce.

At stake: a $40,000 scholarship to the prestigious culinary academy at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, and other sizable scholarships, including one to the Swiss Hospitality Institute’s “Cesar Ritz” academy in Switzerland.

The Los Angeles Unified School District competition is sponsored by the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program, a New York-based organization that provides culinary scholarships to talented high school students.

The Valley finalists are Roberto Servin and Rosie Valdespino of Monroe High School in North Hills, and Mario Gonzalez, Rosa Rivas and David Ruiz of Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley.

The students will compete in June at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for one of several culinary school scholarships, said Kris Giving, of the district’s career development department.

Kim Berney, home economics and catering teacher at Polytechnic, said her students have been preparing for the competition all year.

In the first leg of the contest, held earlier this month, 25 students from 12 district high schools were asked to prepare a simple omelet and demonstrate different styles of cuts.

“They were asked to slice up a carrot on an angle, dice and mince onions, and julienne a turnip,” Berney said. Eleven students were selected to compete in the finals, where they will be asked to prepare a chicken dish and desserts from a memorized recipe.

The winners of the final competition, to be announced June 7, will receive scholarships to one of five culinary arts academies, Giving said.