Mansfield Family Wins $30,000 Cafeteria Makeover For Martha Reid

MANSFIELD, TX — The work of a mother-daughter duo paid off in a major way Tuesday when Gabriela Malkomes, a student at Martha Reid Leadership Academy in Mansfield, was chosen by Ben's Beginners as one of five winners. Being chosen as a winner means her school received $30,000 for a cafeteria makeover, and her family received an additional $15,000.

Alongside her mother, Gabriella, who goes by Gabby, entered the Ben's Beginners contest with original recipes using Uncle Ben's rice. Gabby's mom, Luciana, a photographer, took pictures of her and Gabby enjoying the dishes and submitted them to Ben's Beginners. Uncle Ben's selected the Malkomes' entries as finalists, and the public voted to choose the winner.

Voters liked what they saw and chose Gabby and Martha Reid as the winner. A representative called the school's principal, Rebecca Stephens, to tell her the good news.

“I received a call around Veterans Day that Gabby had won,” said Principal Rebecca Stephens. “We had to keep it a secret from them until today’s surprise presentation.”

Luciana and Gabby were indeed surprised. In fact, Luciana said she believed they had lost the competition until the presentation on Tuesday morning. She knew something was up when a woman she didn't recognize took the stage during an assembly at Marta Reid and started talking about her peanut butter rice flan recipe.

"I broke into tears," she said in an interview with Patch. "I couldn’t stop; I barely could believe that was happening. The long journey came to my mind. Since the day I decided to enter — all the moments cooking with Gabby, all the excitement, a month asking for votes and all community supporting us... all came together like a movie playing in front of my eyes."

Gabby, 5, has Down Syndrome, and she attends kindergarten classes for students with special needs at Martha Reid. Luciana is proud not only of the of her brilliant daughter, but also of the tale of inspiration she can now tell other students like herself.

"Kids got so excited for a Gabby, and I am so proud of her and so happy for this amazing school," she said. "They truly deserved the prize. I am excited as well for the inspiration Gabby brought to those students — and motivation for families with special needs kids."

"She was showing off and enjoying every minute... After that, I saw all classmates hugging each other and Gabby [was] just in the middle. Words can’t describe the emotion, the beauty of those moments, the memories made, so priceless — much bigger than the checks we won today... I am not sure if Gabby understood she won, but I am sure she got excited and felt loved and special."

Principal Stephens said the school doesn't yet have plans for the cafeteria's transformation, but that she looks forward to the renovation. She hopes the changes encourage students to eat different, healthier foods.

According to the Ben's Beginners website, more than 12,500 students have benefitted through the program, and $580,000 has been donated to various schools.

Read more of Gabby and Luciana's inspiring story here.

Lead image: Gabby and Luciana show classmates how to make peanut butter flan. Image via Mansfield ISD.