Washington Grown ingredients...at a culinary school in Vietnam

When culinary students in Vietnam use Washington-grown ingredients to create original dishes, amazing things can happen. When the Washington Grown team visited the Huong Nghiep A Au culinary school in season 11, we were lucky enough to get to judge a student cooking competition focused on dishes made from Washington ingredients.

How did the contest work?
Before beginning the competition, chef and culinary instructor Cam Thien Long gave a cooking demonstration, creating a seafood dish using Washington ingredients including potatoes, apples, blueberries, flour, and pears. After the demonstration, the students formed teams and were given a short amount of time to create their own dishes using Washington ingredients, and the judges tasted each and voted on their favorite.

What were the judges’ reviews?
At the end of the competition, Long, along with hosts Kristi Gorenson and Tomás Guzmán, tasted — and judged — 13 delicious dishes ranging from noodles and seafood to soups and desserts. “There’s some beautiful dishes here!” Guzmán remarked, gesturing to the counter covered with plates and bowls of food. Long agreed: “The plating is really nice.” After the judges had a chance to taste everything, the winners were announced and given prizes, but as Gorenson said, “The real winners were us judges. That was delicious!”

What will the culinary students do after graduation?
The school has nearly 30,000 students each year, who go on to work in hotels or restaurants in Vietnam or around the world, like the United States or Australia. One student said he came from a family with many generations of chefs, and he was excited to travel after he finished school. “I want to travel around the world, to explore many new ingredients,” he said. “And maybe I can mix it into Vietnamese cuisine and make some new dishes.”