Minor Scores Major Win

Longwood Boy Places Second in Inaugural Cooking Competition by PAUL CATALA photos provided

- CATALINA BOHORQUEZ

NATHANIEL FORKIN could’ve made the recipe easier by simply going to the supermarket and buying a box of pre-made lasagna noodles.

But instead, the 9-year-old Longwood boy chose to meticulously make the noodles from scratch using flour, eggs, water, parchment paper and a roller.

It was partly due to his determination to get cookin’ his own way that helped Nathaniel earn a second-place finish in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ 2021 Lunchroom Wars. The inaugural cooking competition was open to any Florida resident ages 7 to 13 and was designed “to upliftculinary aspirations and highlight Florida commodities,” according to the Department of Agriculture.

Nathaniel’s qualifying round entry in March was strawberry shortcake with edible flowers, with judges basing that entry on appearance, presentation, creativity and use of Florida produce.

For the first competition, Nathaniel submitted a video, and the top three recipes were chosen in April. For the second round, he submitted another five videos showing him going through all the steps of buying and preparing ingredients before cooking his recipe. Cooking under the moniker “Chef Nano,” he then had two weeks to put together his recipe for the online final round, a cheesy lasagna dish he called “Layers for Champions.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lunchroom Wars finale took place virtually, and each of the finalists submitted videos of their recipes that showcased Fresh from Florida produce.