CONTACT:
Brittany Wright
312) 419-1810
brittany@healthyschoolscampaign.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YOUNG CHEFS SERVE UP CHANGE FOR SCHOOL FOOD IN HEALTHY COOKING COMPETITION
High School Culinary Students Create Lunch to be Served Across Chicago, Advocate for Healthy School Food

CHICAGO, NOVEMBER 8 – An entrée of oven-fried chicken, leafy greens and cabbage with sweet potato salad will soon be found on the menus of the hottest Chicago dining scene – school cafeterias. The delectable dish was created by students from Chicago Vocational Career Academy at last week’s Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest. The young chefs will have their meal served throughout Chicago Public Schools, travel to Washington D.C. to compete in the Cooking up Change national finals and receive scholarships from Washburne Culinary Institute.

Students from Clemente Community Academy took second place while Richard Career Academy took third. Dunbar Vocational Career Academy’s pumpkin bars won the audience favorite award in the healthy snack category, chosen by guests who attended the contest at Bridgeport Art Center at 1200 West 35th Street.

“Cooking up Change is the perfect event to move the First Lady’s agenda for healthier school food forward,” said Rochelle Davis, president and CEO of Healthy Schools Campaign. “These students provide an opportunity for all of us— whether you’re a student, chef, mentor, or a participant—to be a part of the debate and dialogue about healthy school food. It also builds the knowledge and community support to really make the change we want to see.”

Cooking up Change engages culinary students in Chicago Public Schools’ Department of College and Career Preparation and the broader community in a dialogue about school food reform and the need for more resources for our nation’s school meal program. Student chefs are challenged to create a healthy, great-tasting school meal that meets high nutrition standards and budgetary guidelines, comparable to those in school food service.

This year, the student chefs of Cooking up Change took top honors with an ingredient that Chicago Public Schools recently added to its menus: fresh chicken. Chicago Public Schools recently began serving scratch-cooked chicken, using unprocessed chicken from the USDA and from an Amish farm in Indiana. This represents a significant milestone for school food and a popular ingredient with student chefs. This move builds on a history of innovative initiatives to improve school food in Chicago Public Schools, including one of the nation’s largest farm to school programs. All student teams in Cooking up Change used frozen local produce from this program. In the last school year, Chicago Public Schools launched a new school food program in which all meals meet the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge, a cornerstone of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative. The student-designed meals in Cooking up Change also meet this gold standard.

“We are truly inspired by these students’ creativity and their vision of school food innovation. Year after year, these schools continue to amaze people,” said Bob Bloomer, regional vice president for Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, Premier Sponsor. “We’re proud to work with CPS to continue making school food healthier and proud to be part of Cooking up Change.”

The winners of the Chicago contest are invited to compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C. Student-designed lunches from the contest have been served in schools across the country as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives cafeteria. Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama met with and commended the national winners during a visit to Jacksonville, where she praised their efforts to promote healthy school food.

“The reality is that no matter how hard our leaders work, changes to school food can't just be about the grown-ups. Education happens when kids are actively involved in solving problems,” said Christie Vilsack, National honorary co-chair and wife of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Cooking up Change is a perfect example of that involvement: it's about doing something, being active and tackling real-life problems.” She serves as national honorary co-chair with Karen Duncan, wife of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Since 2007, Cooking up Change has served as a flagship benefit event for Healthy Schools Campaign, a not-for-profit that advocates for healthy school environments.

The Cooking up Change Chicago Healthy Cooking Contest is generously supported by a team of sponsors that includes Premier sponsor Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, Hero sponsor Preferred Meal Systems, Inc., Official Travel Partner Southwest Airlines, Champion sponsors School Health Corporation, Organic Life, and Illinois Education Association. For more information about Cooking up Change, please visit www.CookingupChange.org.

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About Healthy Schools Campaign
Healthy Schools Campaign, an independent not-for-profit organization, is a leading authority on healthy school environments and a voice for people who care about our environment, our children, and education. HSC advocates for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn and work in a healthy school environment. For more information, please visit www.healthyschoolscampaign.org.

About Cooking up Change
Cooking up Change is a healthy cooking contest for high school student chefs. With the guidance of a chef instructor and dietitians, teams are challenged to prepare a tasty, nutritious meal that meets the nutritional standards and cost constraints that school food service staff face every day. Cooking up Change allows students to engage community and national leaders in a dialogue for access to healthy school meals. For more information, please visit www.CookingupChange.org.