The school's culinary programs are one of its distinctive features. Both faculty and students have been featured on the Food Network; Former Louisville instructor John Castro bested Bobby Flay in Hot Browns in a 2008 "Throwdown", while Lexington graduate Brigitte Nguyen came in a close second in a hamburger-themed Ultimate Recipe Showdown shown in 2009. Brigitte won the $50,000 first prize in the National Chicken Cooking Contest in San Antonio May 2, 2009, with her "Chinese Chicken Burgers with Rainbow Sesame Slaw."