People who train for careers in the culinary arts often have a variety of ways to show off their skills before they even accept their first job.

This week, New Hampshire's SeacoastOnline website reported on 17-year-old Rafael Delossantos, a culinary student from Portsmouth who recently won a statewide cooking contest. According to the report, Delossantos will now compete against winners from the other states in the Skills USA National Competition. The event is set for June in Kansas City.

"I'm always cooking. They give you the recipes a month beforehand for the entrée part. You have to do a soup but you come up with your own garnish. One of the challenges is putting the nerves aside and doing what I have to do. There's so much you have to do," Delossantos was quoted as saying in the report.

The rising culinary student reportedly demonstrated skills like knife cuts and meat fabrication along with preparing courses like a soup, salad, entrée and vegetable.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information on a number of different specialties in the culinary trade, from restaurant cooks to fast food workers. The increase in demand for all such occupations combined is expected to be 11 percent by 2016.