A culinary duo from North Mesquite High School won first place in the second annual MISD Student Chef Showdown on Thursday, December 4, at John Horn High School, impressing judges with a Southwestern-style pinto bean dish that will be featured on next year’s district lunch menu.

North Mesquite students Cheyenne and Jeanette earned the top score for their Southwest Pinto Bean recipe, which combined pinto beans, corn, Mexican seasoning, cumin, and cilantro. The students said their inspiration came from a familiar favorite: “We chose this because it reminds us of Chipotle.” They added that their long partnership contributed to their success: “We’ve been working together since we were in middle school, and we work together very well.”

All five traditional Mesquite ISD high schools competed in this year’s timed 30-minute challenge, which required students to create an original side dish featuring beans. Teams were judged on taste, creativity, presentation, nutritional value, and practicality for large-scale productions.

The runner-up team, Horn High School students Xara and Nevaeh, prepared Bluey’s Edamame, a dish seasoned with Cajun flavors and lemon pepper. Poteet’s Camila and Elijah created  the Mexi-Fijoles, featuring a remix of traditional black beans with a delicious umami flavor and kick of heat. Mesquite High School’s Michelle and Jovanny crafted a creamy, flavorful hummus with a blend of aromatics and citrus flavors. West Mesquite students, both named Matthew, created the Harissa Black Beans dish, a cultural fusion of Mediterranean, North African, and Hispanic spices.

A panel of four judges evaluated the dishes. In a notable decision, judges announced that all five recipes will be added to next year’s MISD lunch menu, recognizing the high quality and impressive effort demonstrated by each team.