GREELEY — The school cafeteria could have been a Food Network studio as four judges at a raised table tucked into their “Chic Penne” pasta Tuesday. This was the moment of truth for the eighth-grade culinary team that had labored over the dish for two months.
Breaths were held. Thumbnails nibbled. Hands clasped in prayerful poses.
“Your broccoli is done perfectly,” said the woman in the blue pantsuit.
The four student chefs relaxed a little. “We’re confident in our dish,” said Bethany Vierow, 14.
The team’s confidence was evident, not just on the plate, but in the calm, choreographed way the teenagers worked together.
“Hot pot!” yelled Jace Keopke, 14, as he lifted the boiling pasta from the stove to the sink. Abe Aguilar, 13, made sure his broccoli was bright green, but not mushy. Amairani Pizarro, 14, measured 3/4-teaspoon of black pepper into chicken stock, whisking with skim milk to make a low-fat sauce.
The woman in the blue pantsuit was Katie Wilson, executive director of the National Food Service Management Institute. Joining her at the judges’ table were chef Shawn Hanlin, Mydina Thabet of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Audrey Rowe, administrator of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. They came to Winograd K-8 School in Greeley to kick off the judging phase of the Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge.
The adults liked the whole wheat pasta, chicken and broccoli dish, but what would the kindergartners think?
The proof was in the empty trays that came back to the kitchen. Sure, there were some uneaten tufts of broccoli, but even the littlest ones seemed to like the nutritious entree.
“This has really opened our eyes to how healthy food can taste good,” Bethany said.
The contest is part of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program and is designed to boost consumption of whole grains, legumes and dark green and orange vegetables. Schools submitted more than 340 recipes, which were narrowed down to 15 finalists.
The top three teams will travel to Texas in July to compete for the grand prizes, $3,000 for their school.
Meanwhile, at a small table in the back of the kitchen, four lunch ladies ate their salads. Asked if the student-chefs are taking their jobs away from them, they smile.
“They’re not taking our jobs; they are doing their jobs,” said kitchen manager Annabel Garcia.
Beyond this event, Rowe hopes the teamwork and the focus on healthy food extend into the community, to other schools and into homes.
A longtime human-services activist, she knows “many kids haven’t been exposed to this kind of food, and I love to see the joy and pleasure on the children’s faces when they taste it,” Rowe said.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com.
Nourishing kids’ love of good food
Review the recipes entered in the Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge and vote for your favorite at:
