Greta Hagen, junior, has been cooking since she twelve and since then has placed third, 11th and 13th in a chili cooking competition. Hagen won the contest just last year, being the youngest in the state to win.
“When I won first my dad had to call me on my way to work and I cried because was so happy,” Hagen said. “And I wasn’t even at the award ceremony when I won.”
Hagen got into the culinary arts at the age of twelve when she made a cake for her mother’s birthday. Hagen says she had a great grandpa who owned a bakery which also pulled her toward cooking. The chili contest came later. Hagen says her dad was the one who introduced her to the competitive cooking.
“My dad had done the contest with his friend for a few years before and I always enjoyed going along with,” Hagen said. “So I asked if I could enter with him and then we started our own team The Beauty and the Beast BBQ.”
Besides making chili Hagen enjoys making cupcakes. Hagen says she enjoys giving them to people and seeing their reactions. The culinary arts is not something she is going to dedicate her life to but she says it’s her back up if all else fails.