Renton Technical College culinary student Krista Nakamura has been awarded Washington State Junior Chef of the Year by the Washington State Chef’s Association.

The 19-year-old from Maple Valley won the silver medal at the junior chef competition put on by the association in August 2010. Just recently they presented her formally with the medal at the Columbia Tower in Seattle in an American Culinary Federation meeting.

In a one-hour challenge last summer to present a meal of two plates, Nakamura won over the judges with a sauté of rock Cornish game hen with a demi-glace, mushrooms, tomatoes and grilled eggplant served with roasted fennel, tourney of carrot and Yukon gold potato.

She will go on to compete in regionals, which start April 29 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Although she’ll compete against three other students, she’s really up against a scoring system that places competitors as gold, silver or bronze.

Before any of this, Nakamura grew up cooking and experimenting in the kitchen with her family.

“I always watched my grandma cook when I was younger,” she said. “I used to actually go to the fish market with my grandpa when I was younger and just kind of see things. I actually loved going to the grocery store with my mom.”

Nakamura isn’t the only RTC student making educational and professional strides. Zaprin Kotzev of Kirkland and Rachel Houghton of Renton were selected as members of the All-Washington Academic Team 2011.

The 2011 team includes 63 students representing 33 community and technical colleges in Washington state. The international honor society for two-year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa, introduced the All-USA Academic Team to recognize and honor two-year college students for their scholastic achievement, community and college service.

Houghton and Kotzev will be presented with medallions on March 24 in Olympia.