TVAH student wins 1st Place in the 2025 K12 National Cook-Off!

We’re fired up to celebrate a huge win for Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville (TVAH)!

Isla, a talented 9th grader with serious kitchen chops, just claimed 1st Place in the 2025 K12 National Cook-Off—a national showdown spotlighting the best student chefs in grades 6–12 across the country.

The challenge? Way tougher than your average recipe. The five student finalists faced two high-stakes rounds: an entrée round and a dessert round. But here’s the twist—they had to draw ingredient cards at random before cooking began!

Check out Isla’s completed entrée and dessert dishes below:

Isla drew lamb chops, sweet potatoes, carrots, and Bartlett pears for the entrée round. She grilled the chops, mashed the potatoes, roasted the carrots, and tossed a fresh pear salad.

For the dessert round, Isla drew peaches and made a crepe cake.

With creativity, focus, and culinary flair, Isla wowed the judges and cooked her way to the top—earning not just the title, but also a $1,000 prize!

“The K12 Cook-Off is one of the reasons why I chose K12,” Isla shared.

We couldn’t be prouder! Isla’s achievement shows just how far passion and hard work can take our students—and we can’t wait to see what she cooks up next.

Watch Isla’s episode here and check out the dishes from the other finalists.

Follow @k12.student to stay up to date on all K12 competitions and activities.
Questions? Email us at: [email protected]