The chef for Texas Lutheran University is leaving marks-Grill marks, that is. Chef Ernesto Servantes was entered in a grilling competition for the famous hit T.V series “Chopped” and had to tough out grilling in the harsh weather conditions like sand storms and intense heat. Even more amazing, he won first place out of the sixteen spots. Sticking to the Mexican roots he was raised in, he put his own personal twist on interesting foods, like guava paste, and also tackled some more common ingredients, like pound cake and  sardines. Little did he know that the sardine, that little fish would be the ticket to  his winning the title of Chopped Grillers All Stars Champion, and an extra fifty thousand dollars in his pocket.

“I would have never in my wildest dreams be thinking I would be sitting right in front of y’all,” Servantes, a Uvalde native, told the judges. “From a small-town guy, minding my own business, to here – thank you, thank you.”

Thanks aren’t owed just to the judges however, Seguin, Texas also offers a grateful thanks to chef Ernesto Servantes, the chef who helped put the little town of Seguin on the map again.