CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two Del Mar College baking and pastry students are preparing to compete against experienced chefs at the World Food Championships in Indianapolis after one of them earned a golden ticket at the Texas Food Championship in Corpus Christi.
Aiyana Willingham, 19, earned first place in her dessert category with a score of 98.7 out of 100, securing her spot at the international competition. She will compete alongside fellow baking and pastry student Annie Rodriguez, whom she selected to join her team.
“I scored a 98.7 out of 100,” Willingham said. “I made a lemon olive oil cake with blueberry compote, lemon curd, a pistachio cream, and then I had a nice malt shard on top to elevate it a little bit.”
The students have had just weeks to prepare for the World Food Championships after competing in the Texas Food Championship. They said the tight timeline has meant balancing long hours in the kitchen with college classes, assignments and midterms.
“We spend probably over 60 hours in this kitchen a week practicing and doing classes as well,” Willingham said. “I go home to sleep and I come right back here.”
Multiple rounds put students to the test
The dessert competition will challenge the team through multiple rounds, testing their ability to produce consistent plates under strict time limits.
In the first round, the team will have 90 minutes to prepare six plates of their dessert. They plan to bring back Willingham’s winning lemon olive oil cake, with adjustments to the presentation and a mixed-berry component.
The second round will shift from a small number of carefully plated desserts to high-volume service. The team expects to have an hour to prepare 120 plates for a people's choice round, followed by another hour to produce 130 plates, bringing the total to 250.
The students will also have to connect with people sampling their dishes and persuade them to choose their dessert.
The final round will narrow the field to seven competitors. The team will have 60 minutes to prepare 11 plates, including one for the judges and 10 tasting plates.
For Willingham and Rodriguez, the challenge is not just creating a dessert that tastes good. They must also work efficiently, maintain quality and present their dishes under pressure.
“This is both of our first times going against actual, like, professionals who have had years, probably more time than us to practice on their desserts,” Rodriguez said. “But I think we're super excited to show what we have, really proud of how far we've gotten just to learn all this in such a short time span.”
Looking ahead to another opportunity
Rodriguez said she feels fortunate to compete alongside Willingham and hopes to help refine the dessert while easing some of the pressure that comes with competing.
“I feel really lucky,” Rodriguez said. “My whole goal is to try to make her plates, elevate her plates more, and take off some of that stress.”
The students also see the competition as an opportunity to learn from chefs with more experience, explore new techniques and build connections within the food industry.
They said they are looking forward to seeing how other competitors approach their dishes and meeting people who share their passion for baking and pastry.
Although they are excited to represent Del Mar College, the students said their ultimate goal is to earn another golden ticket for next year's World Food Championships. With more preparation time, they believe they could develop even stronger dishes.
The dessert team is one of two groups representing Del Mar College at the competition. Three additional students will compete in the burger category, giving the college representation in both desserts and burgers.
For now, Willingham and Rodriguez are focused on making the most of their opportunity while balancing the demands of college and competition preparation.
And while the students are eager to show off their skills in Indianapolis, they are also looking forward to experiencing cooler temperatures and the fall weather they rarely get along the Texas coast.
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