Honoring Healthy Fare from High School Culinary Students

The winning chefs for 2009—six culinary students from Tilden Career Academy—impressed a panel of judges that included local chefs, school administrators, culinary instructors and one high school student. Their meal consisted of vegetable-chicken jambalaya, spicy cheesy cornbread and cucumber salad. The champion team will have the privilege of visiting Washington, D.C. and meeting with White House Assistant Chef, Sam Kass, and their meal will be served in the House of Representatives cafeteria as well as schools nationwide.

The Cooking Up Change competition provides a novel opportunity for high school culinary students like these, many of whom are aspiring chefs, to be advocates for healthy eating in public schools and influence what is served to children nationwide. Although school districts are reimbursed $2.68 for school lunches that meet federal nutritional standards, studies show that the actual costs of serving and preparing such a meal average around $2.92. Healthy Schools Campaign is trying to raise awareness of the need for additional funding for school lunches, while also encouraging local young culinary talent to address the issue in creative ways.

Similar programs have been cropping up around the country, giving high school culinary students challenging and educational assignments, with the added bonus of improving the food served in their own cafeterias. At Aveson Global Leadership Academy in Los Angeles, California, for instance, the Healthy Living and Culinary Arts Program includes international cuisine in the cafeteria as well as organic vegetables grown on campus. Florin High School in Sacramento, California, recently held a contest in which culinary students competed to create a wrap that met USDA school lunch guidelines. In the end, programs like these are not just helping address a nationwide nutritional challenge, but also encouraging tomorrow's budding culinary talents.