Future Chefs

It’s never too early to start teaching students how to make healthy food choices, master basic cooking skills and engage in a little friendly competition. Sodexo Schools has spent the last decade helping students practice their culinary skills through the Future Chefs Challenge. 

Hundreds of students are encouraged to submit recipes, based on a given theme each year, at the district level. Recipes are judged each year on taste, healthiness, kid friendliness, originality, ease of preparation, plate presentation and student chef presentations to the judges. The winner at each district then moves on to a regional round with others across the nation. One winner is chosen at the end of the contest and named the National Champion. 

Preparations for the challenge start in September, recipe submissions are made in early winter and the local challenges are held throughout the month of March. A National Winner is then announced, typically, in May. The winning recipe, along with three other student-created recipes from this contest, are added to the school menus in our promotional series the following school year. What a great way to showcase our students’ creativity, skills and initiative.