Culinary students chop it up with Top Chef Manny Barella

Inside the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus kitchen on Wednesday morning, a group of students in white and black chef coats huddled around Chef Manny Barella, listening intently to his advice.

"There is no wrong question," he said. "If you need to ask a question multiple times, that's OK. There are things you learn here that you don't in books. Be curious."

Barella was a sous chef at Uchi in Denver. And recently, he was a fierce competitor on Season 21 of Top Chef. Now, he's helping mentor and stir up young minds in a partnership with Colorado ProStart . It's a two-year, industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management program.

In class, students learned how to craft items from a menu specifically for the upcoming Food & Wine Festival in Denver , including pork belly confit, asado de bodas (wedding stew), roasted potato coins, and lime-cured onions. The aspiring chefs say they can't wait to show off their creations.

"Flavor is a big part of life to me," said Andy Annis, a ProStart senior. "The main thing about cooking, it brings people together. Hopefully, I can get up there to that high, top chef status."

"I'm hoping to bring some smiles to people's faces," fellow senior Aliyah Johnson added.

"It's the crème de la crème. The best restaurants and the best chefs are going to be there. I get massive FOMO when I'm not part of events like this," Barella said with a laugh. "And it's a great opportunity for legacy, to pass it to the next generation. People accomplishing things based on what you shared with them."

Denver Food & Wine Festival kicks off next week, Sept. 4 to Sept. 7. It's at the Tivoli Quad, on the Auraria Campus.