Nutritiously Delicious: JCAians turn up the heat at Nutri Cookfest

Nutritiously Delicious: JCAians turn up the heat at Nutri Cookfest

I Phoebe Martha Domingo

To promote healthy eating through culinary innovation, senior high school students (SHS) transformed fresh produce into dishes during Nutri Cookfest 2026 at the cookery laboratory on July 20.

In celebrating Nutrition Month, four student representatives from each section in Grades 11–12 competed in the event, which challenged participants to create a complete and healthy meal.

The said competition demonstrated that healthy eating can be both enjoyable and innovative, inspiring JCAians to embrace nutritious choices one meal at a time.

Throughout the competition, advisers supervised and guided their respective teams to ensure an organized and orderly contest. Students were also allowed to demonstrate their culinary skills, creativity, and teamwork.

Each team decorated their own station with a unique theme that complemented its proposed dish, adding visual appeal and enhancing the overall presentation as contestants explained the nutritional value, ingredients, and inspiration behind their meals.

Entries were evaluated by Ms. Jaye Ann Damasco, Ms. Stephanie Ortiz, and Sir Samuel Soliven based on taste, nutritional value, creativity, cleanliness, and presentation.

Reyes encouraged fellow students to embrace challenges and enjoy new experiences.

“Our dish is ratatouille. Ever since we were kids, we wanted to try this dish, but we thought it was really hard,” shared Brent Reyes of 11 – Shiloh. “When we were drafted into this competition, we asked ourselves, ‘What if we tried it?’ We realized that anything is possible with the right teamwork and cooperation from each one of us.” 

Ms. Damasco emphasized that success in the kitchen begins long before the cooking starts, noting that creativity and cleanliness were among the competition’s key criteria.

“From the very beginning, you can already see how important it is to be prepared before doing any cooking. Students were creative in innovating dishes into healthier alternatives,” she said.