The Super Bowl will be played in Houston on Feb. 5, and sandwiches created by HISD students will be featured during the big game. Westside High School culinary students have prepared touchdown-worthy sandwich recipes that will be featured in the concessions stands during the game.
On Jan. 19, Dominique Jackson, Michelle Meadows, and Vivian Romero presented two sandwiches with side dishes to NRG Stadium representatives, who taste-tested and evaluated them. The students offered up a fajita beef Báhn Mì and a chicken-fried steak sandwich, both inspired by Houston’s melting pot of diversity and southern roots.
The fajita beef Báhn Mì mixes Hispanic and Vietnamese cultures in a sandwich that contains grilled seasoned fajitas with a creamy avocado spread and julienne pickled vegetables accompanied by spicy Mexican salsa as a side dish.
The chicken-fried steak sandwich is a straight southern approach to a Texas favorite topped with cheese gravy, green beans, and bacon with a side dish of potato croquette coated with the sandwich’s own cheese sauce.
Chef O’Brien Tingling, one of the judges at NRG, complimented the Westside students on their passion for making and describing their dishes. “You did a really great job,” he said. “The backgrounds and the flavors truly came together.”
The student chefs have been working after school to perfect their recipes. Westside chef instructors Curtis Bell and Robert Holloway, along with HISD Nutrition Services Chef Tom Valdivieso, have been guiding the team of students and providing feedback.
“This is an awesome occasion for our student chefs to show what they are capable of and to represent Houston,” said HISD Nutrition Services Senior Administrator Audene Chung. “The fans will really enjoy what our students have created for the Super Bowl.”
A panel of judges composed of NRG and Aramark officials will choose one of the two dishes and reveal their selection during Super Bowl Media Day on Jan. 24.
The Westside Culinary Team is no stranger to the pressure of competition, as this will be their second performance on the national stage. They were runners up in the National Cooking Up Change competition held in Washington, D.C., in June 2016 and feel very confident in the recipes they presented.
To vote on which sandwich think should be served on game day, visit https://twitter.com/HISDNutri.