H-D grad receives scholarship from culinary industry powerhouse

A recent Hampton-Dumont graduate received recognition from one of the most recognizable names in the culinary industry.

Delilah Cavazos, a 2018 H-D grad, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship through Rachael Ray’s Yum-O! Organization. Rachael Ray, current host of the morning talk show “Rachael Ray,” was a mainstay on the Food Network and has also released a line of cookware and kitchen utensils.

Cavazos, currently attending culinary school at the Des Moines Area Community College Culinary Institute in Ankeny, said she received the scholarship through a general scholarship application for the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF). She received notification she had earned a scholarship, but initially didn’t know for how much or through which organization. Then, a follow-up email on Thanksgiving showed she had earned the recognition from the Rachael Ray Yum-O! Organization. She was also notified she was one of three students nationally to receive the scholarship and that she would be recognized on Rachael Ray’s Instagram story.

Cavazos said that the scholarship will help cover the costs of her final semester but also encouraged her to continue to pursue her dream of one day opening her own restaurant.

“It means the world to me that big influences like Rachael Ray support the new generation of upcoming chefs,” she said, adding the scholarship bolsters the already abundant support she’s received back home. “I’ve also gotten so much support from my classmates, my family and the people of Hampton I haven’t seen in years. Just knowing I have this big of a support system is amazing and it has really helped motivate me to get to where I am today.”

She added that being tied to Ray’s organization is surreal because the she was one of the first celebrity chefs who influenced Cavazos. She said Ray’s prowess in the culinary industry showed her that females can not only succeed in the field, but become a prominent face in it as well.

“I used to watch her show with my mom on Saturday mornings and she was such an influence on why I wanted to become a chef,” she said. “I always thought it was amazing that a female in the culinary world could stand out and be so important, just as much as any other chef.”

With the added motivation and financial support, Cavazos said she’s even more excited to continue her pursuit of her culinary dreams. Following a successful run in the H-D-CAL ProStart program, she enrolled at the culinary school at DMACC. Her ProStart experience allowed her to test out of a few cooking classes for her first year and during the summer, she took four classes that combined basic techniques with more advanced practices.

Now with a year of school under her belt, Cavazos said this semester has been her favorite and allowed her to gain valuable hands on experience in the process. The “Gourmet Dinners” section of this semester’s curriculum, she said, has been her favorite lesson because she gets to experiment with unusual ingredients and unique techniques.

“This semester, we used ingredients like squid ink, goat and even turned SPAM gourmet,” she said. “We also used different cooking techniques. For instance, we used hot rocks that had been in the oven all day that get as hot as 500 degrees. Then we put raw food on them so by the time they are served to the customers, they have a perfectly cooked item.”

Seeing the wide spectrum of ingredients and cooking methods fits well with her plans to travel the world to experience the various cultures and cuisines it has to offer. When the travel bug is itched, Cavazos said her ultimate goal is to open a restaurant influenced by her experiences.

“In the future, I want to take the knowledge that I hopefully gain from traveling and apply the new techniques and ingredients to open my own restaurant,” she said. “I would love to see families gather and people have a great time and enjoy the great food I make.”