McHenry Times

Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 recently issued the following announcement.

We’re excited to announce the 5th Annual Sodexo Future Chef Competition!! The culinary competition is open to all District 47 4th and 5th grade students. The goal of the competition is to help educate kids about healthy eating habits. This year’s culinary contest theme is HEALTHY COMFORT FOOD. Judging will be based on the following criteria:

• Healthfulness of recipe 
• Ease of preparation (have to be able to make recipe in 30 minutes or less)
• Kid-friendly appeal
• Taste
• Table presentation

Contest Timeline:

1. To enter, interested 4th/5th graders must submit a recipe to foodservice@d47.org by April 15, 2021. Click the links to download and print recipe cards. Recipe card - English; Recipe Card - Spanish 
2. Sodexo team reviews the recipes and chooses one finalist from each school. 
3. Finalists will be notified by letter and students will be invited to attend a cooking demonstration* with their parent(s) (limit 2). Date and location to be determined. Finalists will sign up for a 30-minute time slot; instructions will be outlined by Sodexo in the congratulatory letter. During the demonstration, a Sodexo cafeteria worker will be assigned to each student to support and assist with safe cooking practices. In addition, COVID-19 health and safety guidelines will be followed; masks are mandatory for both students and six feet of social distancing will be observed. Judges (D47 superintendent and administrators) will also be on-site to do a “taste test” of each food item and will evaluate each student’s entry based on the above criteria. 
4. *Transportation will not be provided for this event. Alternative option: Students may submit a cooking demonstration video instead of attending the on-site culinary event. If interested in this option, please contact Kathy Wicinski at the email address below. 

PRIZES: All finalists will receive a framed plaque, medal, chef coat and apron as well as a backpack with cooking utensils. The winner receives a big basket of cooking supplies and a Fitbit just to name a few of the many items in the grand prize basket. 

Questions can be directed to Kathy Wicinski, food service director, at kwicinski@d47.org or 815-788-5095. 

Original source can be found here.