Serving Prize
Vancouver-area ninth grader wins national cookoff
By Seattle Mag February 19, 2025
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.
Nadia has bigger plans for her college meals than just ramen and cheap takeout.
Nadia — a 13-year-old from the Vancouver, Wash., area who asked that her last name not be used — whisked her way to the top of the 2024 K-12 National Cook-Off competition, besting more than 300 students from across the United States. Her prize? A cool $1,000.
“I love cooking and baking for fun and to stay healthy,” says Nadia, a ninth grader who initially impressed the judges with her signature dish called salmon serenade and pea pizzaz. “I want to always be able to provide healthy meals for myself when I graduate and go to college.”
The competition, judged by Chopped winner Chef David Ho, wrapped up with a final cook-off in Arlington, Va., where Nadia wowed the judges with her creative, nutritious food, including her winning dish of panko-breaded chicken breast with sour cream, pan-roasted garlic mushrooms, lemon olive oil farro, and green beans. She beat five other finalists.
Nadia’s college plans include studying marine biology.
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