Palo Alto Students Ditch Junk Food for Healthy After-School Snacks in Future Chefs Challenge

From Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley at Palo Alto Unified School District:

While healthy eating can be a challenge for kids and parents, elementary school students in Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) will use their creativity and culinary skills on Wednesday to make healthy, after-school snacks in the Sodexo 2015 Future Chefs Challenge in partnership with the PAUSD Student Nutrition Services Department.

The national initiative, which is in its fifth year, was created to get students thinking about making healthy food choices while also encouraging them to get active and creative in the kitchen.

PAUSD students are joining over 2,500 other students representing over 1,000 Sodexo-served school sites in 29 states nationally in this fun and educational challenge.

Seventy-five elementary school students submitted healthy, after-school snack recipes and the 20 best were selected to participate in the district-wide finals event.

Finalists will prepare and present their creations Wednesday afternoon at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School before being assessed on criteria including originality, taste, ease of presentation, kid friendliness, and use of healthy ingredients. PAUSD joins approximately 230 other school districts across the country holding Future Chefs events throughout February and March.

The winning student from each participating district will be considered for regional finalist awards, and the selected regional finalists will vie to become one of five national finalists competing for the public’s vote on a special Future Chefs YouTube channel.

Sodexo, a partner in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative to end childhood obesity, is committed to taking measurable sustainable actions that ensure a brighter future in the areas of health and wellness, environmental stewardship, and community development. The Future Chefs program is one of the many ways Sodexo shares its health and well-being expertise with the clients, customers, and communities it serves.

--Shutterstock image

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