PORT ANGELES — Jefferson Elementary fourth-grader Raeah Kibe’s stuffed bell peppers won the grand champion prize at the 2017 Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge.
Sixteen finalists used creativity and culinary skills to make healthy comfort food in the Port Angeles High School cafeteria on Friday.
The elementary school students prepared and presented their creations before being assessed on criteria including originality, taste, presentation ease, kid friendliness and use of healthy ingredients.
Other winners selected by a panel of judges are:
• Leilani Thomason, Jefferson Elementary, fourth grade – Most Kid-Friendly Entrée, Turkey Taco Sliders.
• Zoe Leffers, Hamilton Elementary, fourth grade – Healthiest Attribute, Summer Lovin’ Salad.
• Faith Carr, Hamilton Elementary, fourth grade – Best Tasting, Mini Shepherd’s Pot Pies.
The Best Table Decorating Award was awarded to Roosevelt Elementary students Deia Evert, Jeffrey Loushin and Tony McMahan.
Other finalists, listed by school, are:
• Dry Creek Elementary — Dawson Latimer and Isabella Temres.
• Franklin Elementary — Holly K Tietjen and Rylee Carr.
• Hamilton Elementary — Olivia Maeder and Damun Seera.
• Jefferson Elementary — Percephone Reade, Madisyn Heistand and Daniel Martinez Jr.
The national initiative, now in its seventh year, was created to get students thinking about making healthy food choices while also encouraging them to be active and creative in the kitchen.
Port Angeles students are joining more than 2,600 other students representing more than 1,300 Sodexo-served school sites in 30 states nationally.
Two hundred fifty-seven school districts across the country are holding Future Chefs events throughout February and March.
The winning student from each participating district will be considered for regional finalist awards, and the selected regional finalists will vie to become one of five national finalists competing for the public’s vote on SodexoUSA.com.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Nine-year-old Zoe Leffers, a fourth-grade student at Hamilton School in Port Angeles, creates a healthy salad Friday in the Port Angeles School District kitchen as part of the 2017 Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge. The event, part of a national initiative to promote healthy eating, brought together student teams from five Port Angeles elementary schools in a competition to cook up culinary creations with the theme of “Healthy Comfort Foods.”
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Nine-year-old Zoe Leffers, a fourth-grade student at Hamilton School in Port Angeles, creates a healthy salad Friday in the Port Angeles School District kitchen as part of the 2017 Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge. The event, part of a national initiative to promote healthy eating, brought together student teams from five Port Angeles elementary schools in a competition to cook up culinary creations with the theme of “Healthy Comfort Foods.”
