Two Maria Carrillo High School students grabbed gold at the SkillsUSA California competition in San Diego earlier this month.

Aja Henry earned a gold in the  commercial baking contest and Mason Awe won gold in culinary arts.

Henry was tasked with making (from scratch) apple pie, corn bread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake and sugar cookies. She had four hours to complete the task.

Awe’s assignment was creating homemade soup from a whole chicken, preparing a featured entrée, starch and vegetable, as well as a salad with croutons. Contestants were judged on their organization, technique, creative presentation, knowledge of food safety, and ability to follow standardized recipes.

A panel of professional judges rated each student’s work. The larger SkillsUSA competition features myriad career technical categories and drew more than 1,800 students this year.

Both Henry and Awe are eligible to advance to the national SkillsUSA competition scheduled for June 25-28 in Kansas City, Mo.

Carrillo’s culinary arts program is a joint effort between Santa Rosa Ci

ty Schools and the Sonoma County Office of Education.