CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Two young chefs from Carmel brought home some major hardware after competing at the World Food Championships in Indianapolis.

Carmel High School students Julia Hohne and Madeleine Arroyo were crowned champions of the second-ever World Food Championships Junior Competition held last Friday.

The championship prize includes a $1,500 check. The duo also picked up $250 for showing the best teamwork.

It adds yet another major win in the ever-growing Carmel High School trophy case.

“At first I was just so shocked,” Arroyo said. “I was just so shocked. I was so amazed [and] I was just happy for me and Julia.”

They were part of a small team of young chefs from Carmel at the 2024 World Food Championships. The international competition wrapped up Tuesday.

A week later, they’re still processing that they won it all.

Hohne said, “It was such an out-of-body experience. We screamed, hugged each other, and then we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to go on stage.’”

For the preliminary round, the young chefs prepared a salmon poke bowl. In the main event, they were challenged to use Indiana Pork.

This was Arroyo’s first competition of any kind. They had about a week to perfect their creation.

Arroyo says they used her Mexican and Puerto Rican background as inspirations for the winning dishes.

“We ended up going with something like puerco pibil, just for the seasonings and flavors. [We also wanted] to do gorditas al pastor, which is one of my favorite dishes,” Arroyo said.

Hohne on the other hand, has competed in a few food contests. In her experience, it’s just the judges observing.

The team had some home-field advantage for the showing. Indy played host to the self-described “Super Bowl of Food Sport” for the first time this year.

Hohne says having this competition in her own backyard with friends and family watching was special. 

“I wanted to make them proud. I also was like, ‘There’s so many eyes on me right now.’ It was motivating, but it was also really intimidating.”

Their efforts cement themselves among the winning culture at Carmel High School.

Instructor and chef, Nick Carter, says while a trophy is nice, it’s not the goal of the culinary arts program. 

“I’m very proud of these students and the amount of work and effort they put in,” Carter said. “For me, [at] the end of the day, it’s more about the opportunity that the kids have for growth.”

As Hohne gets ready to graduate, the win serves as a little bit of a send-off into her senior year.

“The culinary program is incredible, and there are a lot of teachers that are really supportive and have taught me a lot and given me a lot of experiences.”

For Arroyo, the win validates her career aspirations. She is looking to pursue a career as a food scientist. The junior is already eying some major programs at Purdue, Ivy Tech, and the Culinary Institute of America.

But, she says winning also honors her late father who taught her much of what she knows in the kitchen. He passed about a year ago.

Arroyo said, “I knew that he was still there right by my side. In my head, in my heart, I knew that he was with our family. It really has encouraged me to take up a path of something that I really love, truly.”

Hohne is going to culinary school for pastries once she graduates in May. Although she hasn’t decided where she’s going yet, her dream is to own a bakery one day.

Throughout her time in high school, she’s already earned some college credits. Hohne hopes to finish two associate’s degrees in two years — one in business administration and another in culinary arts.