A total of 108 elementary school students submitted healthy after school snack recipes to Lake Washington School District’s Nutrition Services department for this year’s annual “Future Chefs” competition. The 15 best recipes were selected to participate in the district-wide cook-off event held at Rose Hill Middle School on Feb. 11. Finalists prepared and presented their creations before being judged on five criteria: Health Conscious, Kid-Friendly Preparation, Fun Kid Friendly, Judge’s Choice and Best Table Demonstration.

At the event, each student was paired with an adult mentor. Students receive a Future Chef jacket and hat to wear during the competition and keep. They had two hours to prepare their recipes for sampling and judging during the reception.  When students were done preparing their dish, they created a sample plate, which was garnished by a professional chef before final judging. Judges sampled the recipes and evaluated the top five grand prize winners. Sodexo, the district’s Nutrition Service provider, awarded each student chef a medal, certificate and gift bag with assorted prizes and healthy snacks.  The five grand prize winners each won a new bicycle, helmet and trophy. These five winning recipes will also be forwarded on to the national competition.

The winners were:

Health Conscious: Kelsie Williams, fifth grade, Smith Elementary – Get Up and Go Bars

Kid-Friendly Preparation: Grace Lloyd, fifth grade, Juanita Elementary – CCB’s

Fun Kid Friendly: Carson Hubbard, fifth grade, Carson Elementary – Sweet and Savory Sushi

Judge’s Choice: Simran Sethi, fifth grade, McAuliffe Elementary – Quinoa Rolls

Best Table Demonstration: Suzanne Hasan, fourth grade, Sandburg Elementary – Strawberry Mug Cake