D21 Elementary school students compete for ‘Top Chef’ title in Future Chefs Challenge
From left to right: Students Mycole Cardona, Gavin Hemenway, Jovanni Lick, Lincoln Journey, Khushi Bhatt, Abella Romero and D21 Staff pose with their competition entries.
By Stephanie Bowen
Students from three North Wasco County School District 21 Elementary Schools took to the kitchen yesterday, March 29th to compete for the coveted title of ‘Top Chef’. The Future Chefs Challenge, organized by Sodexo, the company that D21 contracts with to provide nutrition services has encouraged students to make healthy food choices and spark their interest in the culinary arts for the last decade.
“It’s never too early to start teaching students how to make healthy food choices, master basic cooking skills and engage in a little friendly competition. Sodexo Schools has spent the last decade helping students practice their culinary skills through the Future Chefs Challenge,” reads Sodexo’s website.
Superintendent Carolyn Bernal supervising in the kitchen.
The competition began earlier this year when students in 3rd through 5th grade from Dry Hollow, Chenowith, and Colonel Wright Elementary were given the opportunity to enter the competition by submitting their recipe for their favorite fruit or vegetable side dish.
Over 25 recipes were entered at North Wasco County School District, and the top six were invited to the competition.
The ‘Top Chef’ finalists line up and their recipes included:
Gavin Hemenway - Parmesan Broccoli Bites
Khushi Bhatt - Fruity Yogurt
Jovanni Lick - Jovanni’s Fruit Salad
Mycole Cardona - Ratatouille
Abella Romero - Scrumptious Spicy Pineapple Salad
Lincoln Journey - Cheesy Potatoes
The finalists had the opportunity to work with the district's Nutrition Team at The Dalles Middle School kitchen, where they were supplied with all the ingredients to make their dish. They had approximately two hours in the kitchen before presenting their creations to the judges.
The competition was judged on how well the recipes incorporated the fruit/vegetable theme, originality, and kid-friendliness. The contestants came up with some impressive creations, including Parmesan Broccoli Bites, Jovanni's Fruit Salad, and Scrumptious Spicy Pineapple Salad.
It was a close race, but in the end Khushi Bhatt was named the Top Chef of the day with her bright pink Fruity Yogurt, infused with rose syrup and garnished with her homemade pistachio, almond, cashew nut topping.
Khushi Bhatt (right) and Abella Romero (left) pose with their prize winnings.
Bhatt will now move on to a regional round of Top Chef with others contest winners from across the nation. One winner will be chosen at the end of the contest and named the National ‘Top Chef’ Champion. A National Winner will likely be announced in May.
The winning recipe, along with three other student-created recipes from this contest, will be added to the school menus in Sodexo's promotional series the following school year.
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