Jonathan DiFlavis’ dish of baked pork dumpling flowers (right photo) came in first in the Mid-Atlantic region of the 15th annual Sodexo Future Chefs National Championship. He served it at a board of education meeting on May 13.
Jonathan DiFlavis was in the kitchen at Cinnaminson Middle School on the afternoon of May 13, feverishly readying his baked pork dumpling flowers for the board of education meeting that evening.
The fifth-grader’s dish came in first in the Mid-Atlantic region of the 15th annual Sodexo Future Chefs National Champion and put him in the running for national champion against students in four states: Oregon, South Carolina, Connecticut and Colorado.
By Jonathan’s side was Lisa Friedrich, general manager for Sodexo Education and food service director for Cinnaminson schools.
“This is one of my favorite things to do,” she said, noting that DiFlavis’ win is the first time a student from the region came in first. “We are very excited for Jonathan. There is a lot involved making sure every single ingredient is there and ready for them, all broken down into their containers to get them ready for their prep that day.”
Hundreds of elementary students between third and fifth grade from more than 200 Sodexo and SodexMagic school districts nationwide submitted their favorite recipes and showcased their talents in district cooking competitions, which happen the last week of February and the first week of March.
“It’s like a ‘Chopped’ session,” Friedrich explained, referring to the Food Network show, “where we give them a basket, it has all their ingredients in it and they prepare the meal. They have about an hour and a half to prepare their meal, then our judges – usually administration, board members and principals – will be the judges.”
District winners selected in April move on to regional judging, where an esteemed panel carefully reviews the entries.
“Watching how excited and how much the students practice, you can just tell they know what they are doing … they are ready to go,” Friedrich said.
Jonathan is a student at Eleanor Rush Elementary School and has entered the competition since he was in third grade. He started cooking when he was 3, along with his mom, Dani Kirsten DiFlavis.
“The first thing we ever made (together) was chocolate chip cookies,” he recalled. “Basically, I took a shower in flour.”
For the dumpling recipe, which he calls “fun to make,” Jonathan received input from his mom, who suggested using a puff pastry as the wrapper and the different dipping sauces for the dish.
“What looks challenging to prepare,” she explained, “he just goes through and does a wonderful job.”
Along with serving his dish, Jonathan was recognized for his accomplishments at the board meeting by Superintendent Stephen Cappello and members.
On March 23, Sudexo announced the winner of this year’s Future Chefs National Challenge as Dezyah Dewitt, a third-grade student from South Carolina who makes cheeseburger cupcakes. And while Jonathan missed the final round, he’s already being recognized in his community.
“It’s kind of weird,” he acknowledged. “People that I’ve never seen before say, ‘Hey you’re the kid with that cooking thing.’”
After two hours preparing and plating his dish, Jonathan served it to the hungry members of the community who were at the board meeting. To see the dish, visit the Cinnaminson schools’ Facebook page.
