Mercer student competes in chef competition to win $25k. See what’s cooking & how to vote
There’s no shortage of delicious food in Macon, Georgia. Which means, there’s also no shortage of amazing chefs in the area.
But sometimes, they are hiding in plain sight.
Take for example, Christian Laureano, a Mercer University majoring in Supply Chain Management.
Laureano first discovered his passion for cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was looking to eat healthy and gain the muscle mass needed to be a Division 1 lacrosse player at Mercer.
“I gravitated towards the importance of fueling your body with good food immediately, and experimenting to make it taste good too,” he said.
Since then, Laureano has been “cheffing it up,” as he says on his Instagram account @chris_will_cook and he’s even competing in a chef competition, where the winnings are $25,000, getting featured on the cover of “Taste of Home Magazine” and cooking with Carla Hall, Food Network celebrity chef.
And here’s the best part: voting is open to the public. Here’s everything you need to know about Laureano’s dishes and how to vote:
What’s cooking?
According to Laureano, his Puerto Rican heritage is what most inspires his dishes.
“I love the bold flavor depth and the freshness of Puerto Rican food. One day I hope to be able to recreate my Abuela’s recipes,” he said.
He revealed that his favorite dish to make is called “Egg-roll-in-a-bowl.”
“It’s essentially all the ingredients that would be inside an egg roll but without the crust. Mix up your favorite cole slaw mix, a couple eggs, some fried rice, soy sauce, some green onions and meat of your choice and it’s good to go.”
Laureano said he also loves to make hot-honey chicken wings in a slow-cooker. “I will let them cook for around three hours in a blend of seasoning and sauce, and then they get a nice crisp after I cook them in the air fryer,” he said. “The hot-honey sauce I use is very simple consisting of Frank’s Red hot sauce, honey, butter, and garlic powder.”
Laureano’s Instagram grid is full of mouth-watering photos of past dishes, like homemade pizza, chicken fried rice and tons of pasta.
But his number one challenge with cooking? The dishes.
Same here, Christian. Same here.
How can you vote?
The Favorite Chef competition is a nationwide competition and voting is open to the public online.
To vote:
Follow this link: https://favchef.com/2024/christian-laureano
Choose how many votes you’d like to contribute and your donation amount (One vote is free, 20 votes is $10 and so on). All donations are tax-deductible and help support the James Beard Foundation.
The first round will end on May 30 and if Laureano makes it to round two, the website will update to future voting.
So, what will Laureano do with the money if he wins?
“I would use some of the $25,000 to pay off a chunk of my college debt. Additionally, I would put some in a high-yield savings account,” he said.
He also said he would like to invest in a new kitchen appliance like a smoker or Blackstone grill.
If you’re local to Macon, have you ever had one of Laureano’s dishes? Let me know at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
