March 8, 2023

Phoenix-Talent School District students in grades 3-5 have been invited to take part in the Future Chefs National Challenge by Sodexo, a fun competition designed to educate kids about healthy eating habits.

Students who wish to take part must fill out and submit a recipe card – the card should include their dish of choice, its ingredients and how to prepare it – to their school cafeteria by Friday, March 17. A distinguished panel will evaluate recipe submissions and select three finalists from each PTS elementary school – one from each grade level for a total of nine finalists – to compete in a culinary cook-off.

The finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 22, and the cook-off will be held at Phoenix High School beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 10. Judging will be based on originality, taste, plate presentation, ease of preparation, healthy attributes and how kid-friendly the dish is.

To ensure the students' safety, each group of competitors will have a kitchen staff member assigned to help them.

A celebratory reception for families will be held following the competition at 4 p.m. at PHS and all finalists will receive a framed plaque, T-shirt and hat.

Local press will be invited to cover the event and parents and teachers can view and taste the completed dishes during the reception. Transportation to the competition will not be provided, so students will need to be dropped off and picked up at Phoenix High School (745 N. Rose Street, Phoenix).

For more information, please contact Sodexo general manager/nutrition specialist Amy Honts-Stark at amy.honts-stark@sodexo.com, or Phoenix-Talent School District communications specialist Joe Zavala at joe.zavala@phoenix.k12.or.us.