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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Chef Magnifique: Robin Wilson, a Willow Glen High student and award-winning chef, is completing an intership at Aqui.
Culinary boy-king of Willow Glen heats up national cooking contest
After winning regional and state competitions, Robin Wilson is bringing his skillets to Kansas
By Mary Spicuzza
Robin Wilson is not an easy young man to find. But it's no surprise that, when I do catch up with the busy Willow Glen High School student, he's in the kitchen. With the sounds of a hot skillet sizzling in the background, Wilson describes a scramble full of fresh vegetables that he's whipping up for lunch.
"This is not my day," Wilson confesses. "My favorite pan just got a stain in it, and I can't get it out."
While he may have been having an off-day last Friday afternoon, this burgeoning young chef is clearly making 1999 his year. After winning gold medals in both the regional and state cooking contests of Vocational Industries Clubs of America, Wilson is preparing for next month's national VIA competition.
Much like the cult-hit Japanese television series Iron Chefs, where two professionals are assigned a "battle ingredient" and compete for best culinary creation, Wilson will be given a "mystery basket" of ingredients to use during the competition, which is strictly timed.
Luckily, Wilson is not a young man who cracks under pressure. At the state VIA contest, he was vying for the title with 12 other chefs. They were given a menu with broad guidelines for soups, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers and roast chicken, and told to use their imaginations. "They told us to make Sea Legs for the hors d'oeuvres," Wilson says. "But I didn't know what they were. So I had to ask around. But nobody else knew either. They were just afraid to ask."
Obviously, his honesty and hard work are paying off. Not only did he find out Sea Legs are imitation crab legs, but he aced the competition with fresh combinations of deviled eggs, ham-wrapped asparagus and stuffed tomatoes.
Besides the stress of timed competitions, Wilson is also used to managing another kind of juggling act--balancing school with cooking classes at the Central County Occupational Center, along with an internship at Lincoln Avenue's Aqui Cal-Mex Grill.
"I guess you'd call it an 'externship,' " says Rob Francis, Aqui's head chef, referring to Wilson's independence. "For a young kid he's very driven. It's great to see a young person who really seems to know what he wants."
Its a determination that has also inspired his teacher, Michelle Ramos.
"Robin spends a lot of time working outside of class; he puts in extra effort. And as a teacher, that's as good as it gets," Ramos says. "What's neat about him is that he's so focused. This is his career path, and he's embarking on it."
Wilson has been accepted to the prestigious culinary program at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I.--one of the top programs in the country. After winning the state competition, he was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to the program. But with tuition reaching more than $24,000 a year, Wilson says he hasn't decided whether he'll enroll next fall.
"If I win nationals, we'll see. That'll help to determine where I go," Wilson says.
In the meantime, Wilson has been cooking up a storm to prepare for the contest, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., starting on June 29. These days he's been preparing Mexican food and pizza, and has been especially fond of vegetable-heavy creations.
"I have to nag my mom to eat her vegetables," he says. "Naw, only broccoli."
And he's celebrating his 18th birthday this Wednesday, May 19. When asked how someone so young could have already become an accomplished chef, Wilson explains it's just a case of proper priorities.
He says, "Basically, first I was interested in eating."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
