Madeline Campbell, a fifth-grade student at Pine-Richland’s Eden Hall Upper Elementary School, is a finalist in the national Future Chefs competition.
One of only five students selected nationwide, Madeline won district and regional competitions to earn a bid for the national title with her recipe, Madeline’s Lemon Chicken and Fried Rice.
The Future Chefs competition is an annual event in which students in second through fifth grades are invited to submit their favorite recipes based on a yearly theme. The contest is sponsored by Sodexo, Pine-Richland’s food service partner.
This year at Pine-Richland, six students were named finalists for the district competition and invited to prepare their recipes in the Eden Hall kitchen, assisted by Sodexo staff members, on March 6. Recipes were judged on health, taste, kid-friendliness, plate presentation, student chef presentation and originality.
More than 240 school districts participate annually, each naming a winner to compete in one of 40 regional competitions. From those 40 regional winners, Sodexo selects five to compete in the national competition.
The winning recipe, along with three other student-created recipes from the contest, are added to school menus in the following school year. Sodexo has hosted the competition for more than 10 years.
Voting for the national winner is open through May 17 at futurechefschallenge.com.