3 May, 2012
The winners of the first ever Student Recipe Contest have been named. Nine students, representing three schools, and seven grades, submitted the winning entries and an accompanying essay question, “Why is healthy eating important to you?”
The Elmwood School winning entries included “Winter Worms”, a team effort by second grade students Kate Dion, Grace Joy, and Hannah Hutchins; and “Stuffed Shells” by third grader Geneva Sanga.
The Hopkins School winning entry for fourth grade was "Turkey chili burritos" by Sarah Wilme.
The winning entry for fifth grade was "Fruit and yogurt sundae" by Abigail Jaye.
Hopkinton Middle School winning entries included "Hoisin Chicken Wrap" by sixth grader Chris Rowell; "Garden Fresh corn, tomato and black bean salad" by seventh grade student Rachel MacIntosh; and " General Tso Chicken version" by eighth grader Austin Schofield.
The student recipe contest was open to students in grades 2 – 8 at Elmwood School, Hopkins School and Hopkinton Middle School.
Essay responses about eating healthy by Hopkinton students included:
"Eating healthy is important to me because it is part of a fun, playful, feel-good lifestyle. I think that eating healthy should not mean giving up taste and joy." Aren, Grade 5
“Healthy eating is important to me because it helps your body be strong, and will prevent diseases." Eva, Grade 5
Healthy foods and healthy eating helps me get strong. I like getting strong because then I will be more protected from things that are dangerous, like germs." Mikayla, grade 2
"Healthy eating is important because it makes us feel better and we are able to do more in life when we are healthy." Michael, grade 3
"It keeps my organs healthy and my muscles strong. My skin feels smooth and keeps my weight just right for my age." Tara, grade 3
Winning recipes will be featured on the menus in the student chefs’ school cafeterias. Student chefs have also earned the opportunity to work with Hopkinton’s “Chefs Move to School” celebrity chefs in their school cafeteria.
The contest is part of a year-long partnership between the Hopkinton School District and celebrity chefs Andy Husbands and Chris Hart. The partnership will bring the chefs’ culinary creativity to the school food service under the “Chefs Move to School” program. Founded in May 2010, “Chefs Move to School” is an integral part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative. The premise of the Chefs Move to School program is that chefs have a unique ability to deliver healthy nutrition messages in a fun and appealing way.
The program pairs chefs with schools in their communities with the mission of collaboratively educating kids about food and proper nutrition to help improve the way children interact with food, from the cafeteria to the classroom. The chefs will act as consultants to the Food Service Director, and will work in the school cafeterias with the winners of the student recipe contest.
The Hopkinton Public School Food Service Committee, comprised of Food Service Director Sherry Toscano, and members of the HPTA and School Councils, brought the program to the attention of local chef Chris Hart, who lives with his wife Jenny and two children, Ethan and Jaimie, in Hopkinton. Chris reached out to Andy Husbands, his co-author of the BBQ cookbook Wicked Good Barbecue.
