It was lively and exciting at the Caf on Feb. 19 as Chef Wars was well underway during the lunch hour. Students tried dishes by executive chefs from three neighboring universities and dropped tokens in boxes to vote for which dish they thought was best.
A BITE OF HISTORY
Chef Wars has been a tradition at Biola for about 15 years, stated Brandon Dowell, the assistant general manager for Biola’s Cafe Bon Appetit. This year marks its return after a short break during COVID. Biola’s own Sidoe Dukemajian competed against Concordia’s Miguel Cuenca and Vanguard’s Aide Castaneda.
Leon Darley, general manager of Bon Appetit at Biola, added that this isn’t the first culinary competition Biola has hotels.
“Biola, along with neighboring Bon Appetit accounts, hosted the first annual Chef Wars in 2009 and continued the event every year until 2015,” said Darley. “After a hiatus, particularly following the pandemic, we launched an internal culinary competition called ‘Food Fight.’ For 2025, our chefs wanted it to be ‘bigger’ and so we decided to revive Chef Wars, starting with a small pilot involving three schools: Concordia, Vanguard, and Biola.”
He went on to explain why these events, specifically Chef Wars, were created.
“Chef Wars was designed as a fun, engaging event for students, faculty and staff, offering a fresh opportunity to enjoy new and exciting dishes while adding a bit of friendly competition,” said Darley. “It also allows our chefs to learn from each other, experience new accounts, and showcase their culinary skills in a spirited atmosphere.”
THE TASTE OF VICTORY
After counting all the votes, Dowell announced Dukemajian, Biola’s executive chef, as the winner of this year’s Chef Wars.
Darley described the prize awarded to the winner.
“The winning chef at each competition stop receives a championship trophy, and of course the honor of being crowned with culinary fame,” said Darley.
Although Biola won this round of Chef Wars, the event will happen again in a few weeks, but at Vanguard University.
Darley explained that this year’s Chef Wars might lead to it continuing as a regular event in the future.
“The three-school pilot is giving us the opportunity to observe and gather feedback on how well the event is received. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, though we still have one final stop on the tour in March,” said Darley. “A decision about making this a regular tradition will be made shortly after that.”
STUDENT REVIEWS
Darley emphasized the real motivation behind the event.
“Chef Wars is not just about food—it’s about community!” Darley said. “We aim to create an event that brings people together, celebrates creativity in the kitchen, and strengthens the bond between students, faculty, and staff through the shared experience of delicious food and good fun.”
Some students and alumni who attended the event shared their thoughts.
“I think it was definitely a fun idea for the Caf, and it’s nice for us students, because it’s definitely the best food they’ve had in a while,” said Maggie Honsinger, junior cinema media arts (CMA) major. “I honestly like all the dishes. It was tough to choose. My favorite was probably the carne asada, partly because they had actual avocado, which is so nice after the watery Caf guacamole all the time.”
David Perumalla, a Biola alumnus of 2023, stopped by to enjoy the dishes at Chef Wars.
“It was very nice getting a broad scope of the different types of foods that other campuses and stuff would make nearby,” Perumalla said.
Students agreed that Chef Wars made them realize the Cafeteria has so much more to offer if it fulfilled its potential.
