By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
The Del Rio Middle School held tryouts Saturday for the school’s barbecue team.
About 25 students committed to tryouts for the program, which is being coached by library aide Jessica Fuentes, an experienced competitive barbecue cook who attended culinary school with her husband.
Fuentes initially resisted taking on the program, but her husband convinced her she would regret watching someone else lead it
“I knew she would regret it if she didn’t,” said Juan Carlos. So, despite several “Nos” Jessica relented and said yes.
Adan Cortez, Culinary Arts teacher and sponsor for the Del Rio High School barbecue
team, said having a feeder program from the middle school is vital for the high school’s success.
“We want to compete among ourselves but we also want to build community in the program and let students see that there are other options out there for them other than football, basketball and some of the other programs,” said Cortez. “It helps students to understand the time management skills necessary as we are building the community at the high school level.”
Cortez and Fuentes have taken teams to nationals every year the programs have been established.
Students trying out Saturday were divided into small groups and given an hour to prepare and cook a hamburger patty, but Fuentes said the finished product wasn’t necessarily the most important part of the test.
Coaches were watching to see whether students followed directions and safety rules, managed their time and workspace and, most importantly, were willing to learn.
“We are looking for: Are you coachable? We are looking for: Do you want this? Like your passion for food,” Fuentes said. “We can teach you skills that will come later.”
Students also had to follow competition-style dress and safety requirements, including having their hair pulled back and wearing appropriate footwear.
Fuentes said the program could ultimately field as many as three teams of four or five students each, depending in part on parent support.
Students selected for the program will begin with weekly practices that combine classroom instruction on barbecue techniques and theory with hands-on cooking, with safety being a major emphasis.
The young cooks will also have to learn to handle the physical demands of competition, where days can last as long as 14 hours and teams may cook through cold, rain or triple-digit Texas heat.
Four qualifying competitions are currently planned during the school year, with successful teams earning an opportunity to advance to the state competition and potentially nationals in Missouri.
Fuentes brings experience from the competitive barbecue circuit, where she and her husband have competed together and helped other family teams.
She said the program is about more than winning competitions, with students learning skills they can take home and share with their families.
“Practice doesn’t just happen here. It is practicing with your family, taking these skills to your home, to your family, and cooking is something that you will do for the rest of your life,” Fuentes said. “It’s a skill you need. Everybody has to eat.”
