Student Chefs Competed to Create a New School Lunch Menu Item — Here's the 'Outstanding' Winning Dish

A schoolhouse territory successful South Carolina conscionable held their yearly title for a caller luncheon paper look — and nan chefs were teens.

The title took spot connected Sunday, Sept. 21, and was portion of Greenville County’s yearly "Healthy Lunchtime Throwdown” astatine nan Euphoria Greenville Festival. During nan competition, 4 students — who applied to compete up of clip — were paired pinch professional chefs. The master chefs past acted arsenic sous chefs while nan students provided nan recipes and directives, according to nan festival’s official website.

The winning look is “added to nan Greenville County School paper rotation for that schoolhouse year,” per nan site.

And nan winning dish? An "outstanding" Hawaiian chickenhearted flick vessel created by student cook Alexander Kreider, per an Instagram post shared by School Food Rocks, a South Carolina statement that promotes nutrition successful schoolhouse lunches.

“With grilled chicken, brownish rice, caller veggies, pineapple, and a touch of Sriracha mayo, it was balanced, flavorful, and precisely what a patient schoolhouse luncheon should be. The champion portion is that it will soon beryllium added to nan Greenville County Schools rhythm menus for thousands of students to enjoy,” nan station stated.

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They added, “Major kudos besides spell to Elijah Raines, Lucy Thomason and Jillian Nance. Each 1 brought their ain productivity and delivered dishes that impressed everyone watching.”

While speaking to section news outlet WYFF 4 Chef Dayna Lee, proprietor of a section Greenville edifice and 1 of nan chefs who volunteered their time for nan challenge, said that she chose to participate this twelvemonth because she genuinely cares astir nan Greenville organization and wants Greenville students to person nan “best” experience” imaginable while astatine school. 

"I attraction astir nan nutrient that our kids are consuming. I attraction astir nan measurement they deliberation astir food. I attraction astir nan measurement they deliberation astir their community,” she told nan outlet.

She went connected to singing nan praises of her student partner.

"He knew precisely what he needed to maine do, made that happen, and conscionable — it's cool to spot group care. It's cool to spot younger — our younger generations — care,” she said.

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Matt Critell, main of a Greenville simple school, told WYFF 4 that Greenville County serves complete 80,000 student meals a day, including breakfast, luncheon and after-school snacks.

"It's not conscionable putting bully nutrient successful beforehand of them, but putting good nutrient successful beforehand of them successful an businesslike and highly effective manner," he said.