District 47 Fourth Grader Is Finalist In Future Chefs Competition

From Crystal Lake Elementary District 47: Sodexo, the world leader in quality of life services and student nutrition partner to nearly 400 school districts throughout the U.S., announces five student finalists in the 2018 Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge. This year, elementary school students from Sodexo-served school districts across the United States accepted the challenge to create healthy Asian-inspired recipes that children or adults will enjoy. Beginning Monday, April 23, the general public is invited to view student video submissions and vote for the winning recipe at: http://sodexoinsights.com/quality-of-life-services/schools/2018-sodexo-future-chefs-competition/. Voting will run from Monday, April 23, 2018 through midnight EST Sunday, April 29, 2018.

Out of nearly 2,600 entries from students across the country, these five Sodexo Future Chefs competed to become 2018’s Top 5 national semi-finalists:

• Emmie Picchi, Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 (Illinois) [Recipe: Crunchy Wonton Taco Cups]
• Wyatt Stone, Northeast School Corporation (Indiana) [Recipe: Chicken Tikka Burritos]
• Erica Sato, Newton PS (Massachusetts) [Recipe: Veggie Power Chirashi Sushi]
• Julissa Rocha, Lawton PS (Oklahoma) [Recipe: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap & Tofu Caprese Skewers]
• Evan Morgan, Lincoln County SD (Oregon) [Recipe: Thai Watermelon Salad]

According to Picchi, a fourth grader at Woods Creek Elementary School in Crystal Lake, Crunchy Wonton Taco Cups are easy, healthy, and tasty. “They’re a combination of Asian and Mexican food,” she said. “I was looking for an Asian-inspired recipe and found one on Pinterest, so I decided to make it my own.”

Picchi took first place at the third annual Sodexo Future Chefs competition held at Hannah Beardsley Middle School in Crystal Lake on March 24th. At the competition, Picchi and eight other District 47 fourth and fifth graders prepared their Asian-inspired recipes for a panel of judges. Picchi advanced to the next round of judging and was the only student in Illinois to finish among 40 regional semi-finalists. She was then named a top five finalist in the national competition.

Picchi watches cable TV cooking shows and said she first got interested in cooking because her mom and dad love to cook. She's been cooking for the past year or two and enjoys making a variety of ethnic foods. “Try your hardest,” she advises. “Just have fun and you’ll be a winner!”

Now in its eighth year, the Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge encourages healthy eating habits by actively involving students in good nutrition. Sodexo is renowned for its work in advancing childhood nutrition, health and well-being and understands that engaging youth in the creation of nutritious meals is one of the best ways to improve health, fuel minds and improve academic outcomes.

Students participating in the program represent more than 1,300 Sodexo-served elementary schools in 256 school districts and 30 states. A panel of judges reviewed the recipes and evaluated them based on originality, healthy attributes, ease of preparation, kid-friendliness and plate presentation. Programs like the Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge are part of Sodexo’s commitment to health, well-being and support for the school districts and communities in which it serves and operates.

Sodexo 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. Another example is Sodexo’s use of research-based principles recommended in the Smarter Lunchroom Movement – developed by the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs – to equip primary and secondary school lunchrooms with tools to improve the eating behaviors of children.

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life of 15 million customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 133,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $30 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook and @SodexoUSA on Twitter.

Sodexo Contact: Enrico Dinges, Sodexo, Inc., 301-987-4393, enrico.dinges@sodexo.com

Photo courtesy of Crystal Lake Elementary District 47