Having been helping her grandmother in the kitchen for as long as she can remember, Justus Gage fifth-grader Sydney Kiner is used to contributing her growing culinary skills towards dinnertime with the family.

The Dowagiac girl had a much larger dinner party to entertain Wednesday, though, with over a dozen parents, teachers and even a local chef awaiting the dishes that she and 10 other area students produced from inside Dowagiac Middle School’s kitchen that afternoon.

Kiner took home the top prize from the district’s first ever Future Chefs competition, sponsored by Sodexo, the national organization that provides food service to Dowagiac Union Schools. Besides bragging rights, Kiner took home a special basket of brand new cooking equipment and cookbooks, and will be considered for the regional finals of the nationwide competition.

Tasked with whipping up a tasty, yet healthy afternoon snack, the Justus Gage student won over the four-person panel of judges with her unique spin on two dishes from opposite sides of the world.

“My recipe combined two things everyone loves, pizza and quesadillas, into one, which I call the ‘pizzadilla,’” Kiner said.

Kiner was one of 12 finalists who made it to Wednesday’s cook off. Last month, district fifth-graders were asked to submit their own recipes for healthy snack dishes. Out of 24 submissions, 12 students from Justus Gage, Patrick Hamilton and Kincheloe elementary schools made it to the final round of competition.

Judging the dishes created by the students were Dowagiac Middle School Principal Matt Severin, Deputy Superintendent Dawn Connor, School Nurse Suzanne Dorman and Chef Cheryl Horiuchi, with the Wood Fire restaurant.

Facing stiff competition from other students with dishes including hummus, egg sandwiches, fruit kebabs and smoothies, Kiner had her work cut out for her.

“I tried my hardest,” she said. “I had my hopes up that I would do well, and all of my good efforts paid off in the end.”

An aspiring chef, Kiner said she enjoys spending as much time as she can in the kitchen, as she finds cooking to be a calming experience after a hectic day at school.

“It’s fun,” she said. “You get to create your own recipe or use someone else’s, and use those to make something you can share with your family and friends.”

Also winning prizes on Wednesday was Kincheloe’s Caitlyn Yakim, who won third place, and Patrick Hamilton’s Kassidy Godbey, who took home second.