Cooking is more than just a hobby for current sophomore and president of Analy’s SkillsUSA chapter, Grace Vogel. It’s her passion and favorite way to de-stress. Her strong work ethic and incredible talent earned her 1st place in the 2026 Skills USA State Championships for culinary. This competition took place on April 11th in Ontario. Grace along with three other Analy students competed.
Her love for cooking stems from her favorite family recipes which are polenta and torcho. These are also her favorite dishes to cook. While taking culinary classes in high school, she met Sarah Piccolo, her culinary advisor who helped her discover this newly found hobby of hers.
Grace and Sarah spent many hours together practicing for the state championships. She went above and beyond in fabricating chicken, making homemade stock, consomme with a custard garnish, salad with an emulsified vinaigrette, a roasted airline breast with a mushroom pan sauce, rice pilaf, and glazed oblique cut carrots. Aside from preparing a delicious meal, the judges also graded her on organization, clean up, and sanitation.
As president of Analy’s first SkillsUSA chapter, she wants to guide new students who plan on joining in these next two years. SkillsUSA is a national partnership between students, teachers, and industry professionals who work together to create the next generation of career professionals. Grace of course is being taught skills that will help her succeed in the field of culinary. While small she plans on growing the SkillsUSA chapter and making championship opportunities available for everyone. She hopes she can keep on competing in the culinary division and eventually open her own restaurant in the future.
In June she will be competing for the Nationals championships in Atlanta, Georgia representing both Analy and the state of California. Go Grace! She is looking forward to going to Atlanta and she is also very excited to go see her family over there who will support her throughout her journey. Speaking of support, please be on the lookout for upcoming fundraisers to cover the costs for the trip. Grace’s goal is to raise $5,000 by June 1st.
