(From left) Chefs Will Weaver, Leo Lozano, Ray Sonjaya and Demetrius Williams create unique recipes inspired by childhood favorites on KAMU’s new cooking competition show, “Aggie Chef Showdown.”
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Aggieland even has its own cooking competition, the Aggie Chef Showdown, which is streamed any time on KAMU’s YouTube channel.
In “Aggie Chef Showdown,” KAMU teams up with Aggie Dining to explore the cuisine of Texas A&M University. In this 30-minute special, four talented chefs from Aggie Dining compete to see who can create the best recipe. Will it be a take on shrimp and grits? A deconstructed enchilada? Indonesian fried rice with pork skewers? Or Maryland crab cakes?
Plus, after watching Aggie Chef Showdown, you can even create the recipes yourself. Read on to learn more about how you can try your hand at kitchen cooking.
The contest was designed as a supplement to the PBS cooking show “The Great American Recipe,” now in its third season. Tune in to the show, which airs every Monday at 8pm on KAMU starting June 17, and read more about the show.
Watch the Aggie Chef Showdown
With a focus on family and the emotions of coming together to share a meal, the chefs will showcase the flavors of their childhood and share recipes that remind them of home. With one hour to spare and three hungry judges waiting, which dish will be crowned the winner?
The contest will always be streamed for free on our YouTube channel.
Meet the chefs
Aggie Dining tested four talented chefs in the competition, get to know them here.
Demetrius Williams, Executive Sous Chef, Aggie Dining Catering
Chef Demetrius cooks because it’s a way to serve others and make them happy. Cooking wasn’t always his passion, but after attending professional culinary school, he never looked back. “I know what good food means to people because there wasn’t much food as a child,” says Chef Demetrius. At campus, Chef Demetrius got a job in catering, cooking for hundreds of events a year.
Leo Lozano, Executive Chef, Aggie Dining Catering
Chef Leo has been cooking for 20 years and loves that culture can express itself through food. “Food says a lot about your personality,” says Chef Leo. “It’s very expressive.” He started cooking watching his mother cook with simple staples like rice and beans. Now he serves as head chef for the campus catering operation, cooking for thousands of people a year.
Ray Sonjaya, executive chef at Commons Dining Hall
Chef Ray is representing Dorm Food in this competition. His culinary journey began when he was 7 years old in Indonesia, where he experimented with cooking for himself and his brother. As a teenager, he loved Wendy’s curly fries but didn’t have the money to buy them. “So, I got a job there and got free fries every night! I was so happy!” says Chef Ray. Since then, he has never worked in any other industry and loves incorporating the diverse flavors of his home country into his cooking.
Will Weaver, Executive Sous Chef, Athletic Performance Nutrition, Texas A&M
Chef Will is bringing a taste of Maryland to College Station. As a child, he learned how to cook by watching his mother. “Our family was always together at the dinner table,” Chef Will says. “That meant a lot.” His mother’s lessons inspired him to fall in love with cooking and he decided to attend culinary school. After graduating, he enrolled at A&M and now feeds athletes as part of the performance nutrition team.
Create a featured recipe
Each chef brought their love of cooking and nostalgic flavors to the competition: the recipes they chose reminded them of home and family.
After watching the Aggie Chef Showdown, try making the recipes yourself as chefs Demetrius, Leo, Ray and Will taste them for the judges and now you too.
Scallops and polenta
Shrimp and grits… but elevated. Chef Demetrius incorporated some home-cooked flavors into the dish, including a topping reminiscent of his grandmother’s sweet potato casserole.
Make Chef Demetrius’ Scallops and Polenta
Deconstructed Chicken Enchiladas
Rice and beans were staples when Chef Leo was growing up, and he elevates these ingredients in his deconstructed dishes, where there’s a ton of flavor to enjoy.
Make Chef Leo’s Chicken Enchiladas
Indonesian fried rice and grilled pork skewers
Chef Rey uses traditional Indonesian ingredients and recreates the pork skewers he loved as a child here, with a soft-boiled fried egg adding a nice flavour to the dish.
Make Chef Ray’s Indonesian Fried Rice and Pork Skewers
Crab cakes and squatash
If you want these crab cakes to be truly Maryland-style, be prepared to buy a lot of crab, but feel free to adjust the crab-to-cracker ratio to suit your budget — either way, you’ll end up with great crab cakes.
Make Chef Will’s Maryland Crab Cakes and Succotash
For more information about the new seasons of “Aggie Chef Showdown,” “Aggie Dining” and “The Great American Recipe,” visit kamu.tamu.edu.
