Campbell Union's Next Top Chef
Students from the middle grades of the Expanded Learning programs are prepping to compete in the 2026 cooking competition.
Student culinary teams from the Expanded Learning programs at Campbell School of Innovation (CSI), Monroe Middle School, Rolling Hills Middle School, and Sherman Oaks Dual Language Immersion School will be competing April 1, 2026 for Campbell Union School District (CUSD) “Top Chef” honors. Middle grade students have been competing in the Top Chef style competition since 2022; not only for bragging rights, but for the opportunity to have their winning recipe added to the school lunch menu.
Leading up to the competition, students representing their school and Expanded Learning program learned about nutrition, food handling and safety, and basic culinary techniques. Additionally, they spent time putting together presentations and practicing their public speaking. The competition will be judged by Superintendent, Dr. Viramontez; Board President, William Slade; former Le Cordon Bleu instructor, The International Culinary Center Coordinator, and season three Chopped winner, Chef Marc Pavlovic; and a student representative from each competing school.
Past winners have included:
2022 - Spicy Chicken Ramen - Monroe Middle School
2023 - Tortas de Asada - Sherman Oaks
2024 - Enchiladas Verdes - Sherman Oaks
2025 - Pesto Pasta - Rolling Hills Middle School
This year’s competition will be available for live stream viewing at rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2 Students begin cooking at 3:00 p.m.