National 4-H Food Challenge in Dallas serves variety of experiences

Texas teams take home top honors

DALLAS – Texas teams came in first and second place at the 2nd Annual National 4-H Food Challenge contest recently held at the State Fair of Texas.

The contest was a multi-faceted experience for members of the six participating teams, which represented Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia,  coordinators said.  

“In the days leading up to the national contest, the 23 4-H youth involved in the contest were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational activities,” said Courtney Dodd, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist for 4-H youth development, who coordinated the contest.

Dodd said youth, parents and 4-H project leaders participated in a “Walk About with a Chef” at the Dallas Farmers Market, where professional chef Ken Patrick toured the market to acquire ingredients to create a dish. This was followed by a cooking demonstration and one-on-one interaction with the chef.

“From that experience, youth learned about local produce and various ways to prepare and garnish foods,” she said. “Some of the participants also explored the food industry native to Texas. They were provided with a guided tour of HEB Central Market, where they learned about various local produce and the operations of the specialized grocery chain.

“They were also able to tour Frito Lay, learning about food production, research and development as well as career opportunities. They were also treated to a VIP tour of the AT&T Stadium — home of the Dallas Cowboys.”

Dodd said contest took place in the Competition Kitchen in the Creative Arts Building on the fairgrounds.

“The teams were presented with ground beef, zucchini, spinach, a trio of bell peppers and an onion, as well as a variety of pantry items,” she said. “Each team was challenged to come up with an impromptu recipe and create its own ‘masterpiece’ within 40 minutes.”

Following the food preparation, each team gave a presentation to a judging panel, detailing what they made and how they made it, along with information on its nutritional value, cost and any food safety practices implemented.

Texas teams took home the top honors, with national championship honors going to the Starr County Food Chefs. Members of that team were Janay Rocha, Crystal Alaniz, Brandon Guerra, Garrett Gonzalez and Jason Gorena.

“To get to national competition, the Starr County team won the state competition at State 4-H Roundup in College Station,” Dodd said. “They also won the 4-H regional competition at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off held in New Orleans.”

Another Texas team, the Houndstooth Honies representing Hartley County, took    second place. Team members were Bailey Been, Hunter Hill, Eden Shimon and Ashley Skalsky.

Additional placements by 4-H competitors were: third place, The Perfect Storm team, Georgia; fourth place, Nelson Foodies, Virginia; fifth place, Kentucky Culinary Team, Kentucky; and sixth place, Pontotoc County 4-H, Oklahoma.

“Each of the teams performed admirably and did a great job of being creative with the ingredients they were given to work with,” Dodd said. “The culinary arts are

just one of the creative arts opportunities available through the 4-H program. We very much appreciate the time and effort put forth by each of the team members,  parents, 4-H leaders and others toward making this competition a success.”