MCI Student Wins $2,500 Prize With Cheetos-Inspired Dish

Most people are familiar with the ingredients of a chicken cordon bleu: chicken breast, ham, cheese and breadcrumbs. 

However, during a competition held at the Miami Culinary Institute last month, Kyjuan Scott put a twist on the dish’s traditional breading. 

Rather than using panko, Italian breadcrumbs, and crushed cornflakes, he opted for a cheesy alternative—Cheetos.

And it did not disappoint. 

On Oct. 16, the 21-year-old won the first-ever PepsiCo Culinary Creators Competition held at Miami Dade College. He was awarded a $2,500 scholarship by the PepsiCo Foundation.

Scott will also participate in six-week virtual culinary marketing mentorship with PepsiCo Chef Abby Murphy and have a dish featured at a local restaurant.

“[This award is] a sign that you’re doing good as a chef,” Scott said. “Despite all the trials and tribulations, you made the dish for all three judges, and your food made them smile…Even if you don’t see it you are definitely making progress in your own career.”

The initiative is part of Cheetos’ Deja Tu Huella (“Leave Your Mark”), a campaign aimed at supporting students at Hispanic Serving Institutions with scholarships and mentorship.

This year, Cheetos partnered with the PepsiCo Foundation to offer a $2,500 Uplift scholarship at schools such as MDC, Los Angeles Trade Technical-College and Dallas College El Centro Campus. Scott was one of 500 scholars awarded nationwide.

Applicants had to submit a recipe featuring Cheetos as the main ingredient, a 15-second video of them cooking the dish and explaining their inspiration.

More than 30 MDC students applied, and six were selected to participate in the contest, which was held at Wolfson Campus. 

Competitors were scored on presentation, difficulty, taste, presence of Cheetos and video content.

In less than an hour, Scott cooked a Cheetos-crusted chicken cordon bleu plated over a creamy mustard sauce. The chicken breasts were stuffed with sautéed onions, spinach, peppers, smoked ham, Swiss cheese and chopped Cheetos dust. 

“Honestly, I was impressed because, you know, it’s hard to pull off a chicken cordon bleu with all those amazing filings inside and the Cheetos in under an hour,” said second-place winner Christian Barruos-Brens. “He really perfected it.”

Scott discovered his love for cooking at the age of 13 when his grandma, the main cook in his household, went out of town. He decided to make fried chicken wings and his family loved them. 

Initially, Scott spent two years studying finance at Broward College. When he realized cooking was his passion, he enrolled in the culinary arts management program at MDC.

The youngster, who is expected to graduate in May with an associate’s degree, plans to  transfer to Florida International University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. 

Scott aspires to become a sous chef at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach DoubleTree Hotel and eventually own a steakhouse restaurant.

“I see it as a milestone in my career,” he said. “I set sous chef as a goal because it is when I will be capable of managing a kitchen.”

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