Chocowinity resident Caitlin Cartwright has done it again.

The Beaufort County 4-H Club participant brought home a gold medal in July at the 4-H program’s state-level competition for her cold vegetable soup recipe in the “Fruit & Vegetable Use, 14-18” category. And now she’s won gold at the National Junior Horticulture Association Conference held in Orlando, Florida from Oct. 9-12.

Cartwright, who is a senior at the Beaufort County Early College High School, said she competed against three people in her category in front of two judges. Her presentation was called “Chillin’ with Caitlin’s Vegetable Soup.”

“I did have a little more competition than I did at state and at district,” she said. “It wasn’t as nerve-wracking because we had different times that we went.”

Cartwright made the 13-hour drive to Florida with her mom and boyfriend on Thursday of last week, but since the competition was not until Saturday, they had some time to explore Orlando, she said.

On the day of the competition, with her mom cheering her on from outside the door, Cartwright said her main goal was to be confident during her presentation. Luckily, her soup was a hit; the judges asked for seconds.

“They told me I could be the next Rachel Ray,” she said. “Surprisingly, I talked really slow. I’m always a fast talker when I’m nervous.”

Cartwright said there were a lot of people competing, and there were as many as 150 students and parents at the ceremony closing out the competition.

But despite her huge win, Cartwright remains humble, and more importantly, thankful.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that donated and helped support me through all of this,” she said.

The Beaufort County Cooperative Extension donated money to cover the cost of the hotel, and along with support from the local 4-H club, the youth group at her church, Second Baptist Church in Washington, organized a bake sale to raise money for her trip to the national competition.

The bake sale also included raffle tickets and peanuts from Texas Roadhouse for sale, Cartwright said. The money raised will be used to reimburse Cartwright’s family for their out-of-pocket expenses related to the trip.

Overall, she said the whole experience of competing has been positive for her, and she thinks being a part of the 4-H club will help her in the future.

“It gave me a lot more confidence talking in front of people,” Cartwright said. “You need to sound like a TV chef, talk like one. … That was our main goal, just be comfortable and confident.”