Landon Stone dreams of opening his own restaurant. He found himself at a table for one last Friday – atop the podium at the Skills USA Food Prep Assistant state championship.

“I don’t even remember (winning). It blew over my head. I was in shock. A lot of people were screaming,” said Stone.

The competition began at 6:30am on Thursday, with a full day of sandwich preparation, salad making, and hand cutting vegetables.

“They had to be the same length and size. It was very much a skills-based competition,” said Stone.

With his state championship win, Stone has qualified for the national championship in Atlanta, GA June 20-25.

“It’s going to be a good competition. It’ll be a lot tougher than States. But, I think it’ll be good,” said Stone.

Stone plans to attend James Madison University to study Culinary Arts.

“It’s been crazy. I’ve met a lot of new friends. It’s getting me better at cooking,” said Stone.