Former Master Chef Latino Contestant Sharing Recipes and Knowledge with Local Girls Center
Chef Lupita Romero Inspiring Students With Her Recipes and Incredible Story
Chef Lupita Romero stirs a pot of her green pozole while giving instruction and motivation to Metro’s Hospitality Apprentices
Chicago, Il— Midtown Educational Foundation welcomed Chicago Chef, Lupita Romero, to its Metro Achievement Center on Monday, as a guest instructor for its summer Hospitality Apprenticeship. Chef Romero shared her experience as a chef, TV contestant, founder of nonprofit Cocina Rx, and discussed the background of the Mexican Pozole dish before giving live instruction on preparing her recipe for green pozole. “It is important for me to motivate and set an example for the minority youth to fight for their dreams and to be successful in being prepared for a changing world,” says Romero about this Metro experience.
Chef Lupita Romero, originally from La Barca, Jalisco, was always surrounded by people who were passionate about cooking. From a very young age, she helped her relatives in the kitchen preparing recipes that were passed down from generation to generation. When she immigrated to Chicago, the kitchen was what reminded her of her family and her origins. She decided to enroll in culinary school where she took courses in molecular gastronomy, combining chemistry and cooking to fuse her dishes. She also specializes in pre-historic Mexican cuisine, incorporating the seasonings and cooking techniques that were passed down by her ancestors.
A highlight of her cooking career was competing on the international Master Chef Latino program, in which she won third place (and got to keep the cool jacket she wore during her class at Metro).
Currently, she is a member of an organization called Cocina Rx where she shares her culinary knowledge with underrepresented communities and guides them in how to implement healthy eating methods. During the pandemic, she started a project in which she prepared more than 75,000 meals that were given away to low-income communities and families around Chicago.
Her passion for gastronomy and serving her community has motivated her to participate in different fundraising events in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the United States, and cities in South America. “There is an overlap between my career path and my passion to serve others because I want to share my traditions through my dishes, because they each have a story and a purpose,” says Chef Romero. “Serving the community is similar because there is always a motive to reach the objective. For example, at Cocina Rx we have analyzed that underserved communities are mostly affected by chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, and others. Our mission is to help individuals access healthy meals and also provide the resources so they can improve their overall health.”
Chef Romero (right) and her daughter and Metro Apprenticeship Coordinator, GIsselle Contreras (right)
A final and sweet bonus of Chef Romero’s appearance, is that she also happens to be a former Metro Mom. Her daughter, Metro alumna Gisselle Contreras, has followed her mom’s example of excellence and service, and is currently a Pre-Med student at DePaul University studying Neuroscience. Gisselle is also helping as the Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Metro College Orientation program this summer and was our featured Metro alumna speaker at this year’s Metro Advancement Council Luncheon.
MEF hopes to have Chef Lupita Romero back many more times to inspire future generations of Midtown & Metro families, one recipe and story at a time.
“Organizations like Metro incorporate the importance of virtues, academics, and family which is something I will always treasure as a parent. Through the formation that students receive, they are guided by the staff through the different stages and help them get where they need to be.”
Watch a short recap video of the event below
About Midtown Educational Foundation:
Midtown Educational Foundation (www.midtown-metro.org), through its Metro Achievement Center for girls and Midtown Center for boys, has helped close the achievement gap for underserved students in Chicago since its founding in 1965. Its programming, focusing on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement, has led to 100% high school graduation and college enrollment for its students for over 20 consecutive years.