Shadiah Sigala, Latina Rialto native and recent Harvard alum, has recently been nominated as a Top 15 finalist to get on the Next Food Network Star as part of the show’s YouTube Challenge.

Though Sigala has no formal culinary training, she draws from countless years spent in her mother’s and grandmother’s traditional Mexican kitchens to make what she has dubbed “urban Mexican cooking.” It was there that she developed a love for food and learned about cooking from the heart and intuition.

Now she’s contending to win an audition with the network’s executives and a possible spot on the show. It will all come down to getting the highest number of online votes.

Now the Inland Empire community can watch her video and help the local rising star by voting for her on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50MkAn9oAG8 and giving her a green Thumbs Up!