An Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Culinary Arts student teamed with a renowned Oklahoma chef to win the grand prize in the Oklahoma Restaurant Association’s Culinary Cook-Off.

Oklahoma City-based chef Jovanny Monreal triumphed in the Culinary Cook-Off, which was held in August as part of the 2026 Oklahoma Hospitality Expo at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. OSUIT student Angelina Santos stood with him in victory after the duo won the final competition.

Santos and the other Oklahoma culinary students who entered the event participated in a drawing that randomly assigned each one to a professional chef. Each student assisted their chef throughout the competition.

“I didn't expect to win. I'm not gonna lie. It shows in the video that they took of me. I was so surprised, but it was amazing. It was so great,” Santos said. “I got a job offer from Chef Jovanny. So, I have a job lined up with my chef. It was a really great experience.”

This was Santos’ first time competing in such an event. She prepared by sharpening her knives and pressing her uniform.

The chefs and their student assistants competed in “Chopped”-style heats, each team tasked with creating delectable dishes using ingredients from a mystery basket.

“I was a sous chef, just assisting my chef in anything that we needed. So, if my chef needed me to sauté, boil, puree anything or use knife-cut skills, I would do that for him. That way, he can focus on the item's main protein. And then I would also help plate, clean up, just be as helpful as possible, and get ingredients together,” Santos said.

Monreal and Santos competed in three heats and qualified for the semifinals. They worked together to prepare one meal during each competition. Each meal consisted of a protein along with a starch, a vegetable, a sauce and a garnish.

The judges observed each team, watching the preparation of the meals, critiquing technique, cleanliness and how each meal tasted.

Santos said she was nervous going into the event but found herself energized by the competition.

“I felt more eager and more drive to do it as the rounds went on,” she said. “We communicated very well, we got our plates out in time, and we knew we had a solid plan and a solid idea of who was doing what. I felt like it went pretty smoothly, and it was the most stressful 30 minutes of my life.”

Santos said her culinary training at OSUIT gave her the skills she needed to excel during the competition. She said her Skills 1 and Skills 2 classes helped ingrain in her the terms and technical language that Chef Jovanny used during the event. She said Chef Aaron Ware, an instructor at OSUIT, taught her many of the terms and skills she relied on while competing. She also learned about mother sauces, which are considered core, essential sauces, from Ware. She was called upon to use that knowledge during the competition. 

“Knowing all of that information from here at OSUIT, going into that competition, made it feel like I was just doing another cooking challenge here, like another mystery basket, just with ingredients that were more different versus here. They had more unique types of ingredients from other places,” Santos said. 

Santos was one of six OSUIT students who participated in the event, and one of two who made it to the final round. Adrian Tuggle, a student success and career advisor for the School of Technology, Arts, Sciences and Health, said Santos and the other OSUIT students gained confidence in their abilities as the event progressed. 

“It's a good feeling watching them go through that experience, seeing them believe in themselves and just seeing for themselves that they can do it,” Tuggle said. 

Santos is set to graduate in spring 2027. She looks forward to someday owning her own restaurant, but said she still has much to learn. 

“I want to do authentic cuisine. I want to have a set menu, but I want to make sure every item that I put in there is authentic,” Santos said. “So, I'm going to do some traveling before I even get started with the restaurant. That way, I get more into the diversity of the regions and what dishes I want to put on there.”