Contact: Jenny Schnaak FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 919-533-5181
Email: wow@theabundancefoundation.org
Web: http://theabundancefoundation.org/events/chatham-county-chef-challenge-2012
Chatham Chef Challenge Brings Students
Healthier School Lunches
Pittsboro, NC – On Leap Day, Chef Colin Bedford gazed
at a table full of ingredients ranging from canned cling peaches and whole
grain pasta, to local sweet potatoes and fresh spinach in efforts to plan a
delicious, healthy meal. He was not designing a menu for his Chatham County
restaurant, The Fearrington House, but a new lunch menu for the more than 8000
youth of Chatham County Public Schools.
The Abundance FoundationÕs annual Chatham Chef Challenge brings
high-profile chefs into schools to help create healthier school lunches in
Chatham County Schools. The purpose of the Chef Challenge is to increase
consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by students in grades pre K-12 while
supporting GAP-certified local farms when possible. This project also works
toward the Abundance FoundationÕs mission of bringing greater education and
access to local food to all families.
This year, the Chef
Challenge consists of 4 Chefs: Chef Colin Bedford of Fearrington, Chef Jay
Pierce of Lucky 32, Chef Gregg Hamm of CCCC Natural Chef program, and the
cafeteria managers of some schools.
In partnership with the
Chatham County Schools, Briar Chapel, Debbie McKenzie of the Southeast United
Dairy Association, a team of committed community members and CCCCÕs Natural
Chef Program, Chatham County School lunches are going through transformation. In addition, the marketing classes at
Chatham Central High will be working on promotional materials as part of their
classwork and supervised by teacher, Lynda Byrke.
Each chef or team is assigned a box of
ingredients to create their recipe for a healthier school lunch. The menus designed by the chefs must be easy for the school
cafeteria lunch teams to create and abide by the USDA requirements for the
school lunch program. Each chef
partners with cafeteria managers, cafeteria staff, teachers and principals to
bring greater awareness to each school this spring. The 4 recipes are cooked by
the staff and served to the students in all 17 Chatham County Public Schools on
the Chef Challenge Days, which are April 19, April 26, May 3, and May 10th.
Cafeteria Managers and Cafeteria Staff are extremely generous for volunteering
their time to learn the new recipes designed by each of the 4 Chefs. The
organization of Chatham Chef Challenge could not be done without the help of
the dedicated team of superstar volunteers.
On Chef Challenge Days, over 8000
students have the opportunity to try the new lunch created by a superstar Chef
with fresh and local ingredients. The students then take a survey to assess the
ChefÕs lunch. The recipes liked most by students permanently stay in rotation
on the CountyÕs school lunch menu.
Leading up to Chef Challenge Days,
during the month of March the chefs meet with the Cafeteria Managers and staff for
Training Day on their newly created recipes. The chefs and farmers also visit
schools that choose to hold Chef Challenge Assembly. These school assemblies
offer students the chance to meet the chefs and the farmers and understand
where their food came from and how their meals were created.
Last year, the Chatham County Chef Challenge included Chef Colin Bedford of Fearrington, Chef Gregg Hamm of the CCCC Natural Chef Program, and Chef Jimmy Reale of Carolina Crossroads. Their menus featured 3-cheese pasta and vegetables, orange zest chicken, seasoned carrots and green beans, and fresh salads. Desserts included fruit parfaits, strawberries and bananas drizzled with chocolate sauce, and low fat chocolate cake with spinach inside, topped with fresh strawberry sauce.
Over 3 consecutive days in
April, cafeteria staff across the county prepared the ChefsÕ new lunch recipes,
bringing 5800 fresh, healthy school lunches to students. While going through
the lunch lines, students tended to choose the chefsÕ meals 4 to 1 over the
competing typical school lunch. About 80% of students
preferred the ChefsÕ meals when competing against chicken nuggets, pizza, and
nachos with cheese.
Since last year was the first ever
Chatham Chef Challenge, this year we hope the project makes an even greater
impact. To compliment the Chef
Challenge with more learning opportunities for students and parents, teachers
in all 17 schools will facilitate complementary classroom lessons promoting
physical exercise and making healthier food choices. Also this year, local
sweet potato farmer, Chester Pilson of C.V. Pilson Farm in Moore County, is
providing all the sweet potatoes for Chef Challenge. His sweet potatoes are GAP
certified, a status farms must attain in order to source produce to schools.
It is amazing how many folks work to
make Chef Challenge a meaningful success; all 17 public schools participate in
the 12-week Chef Challenge, as well as local ÒcelebrityÓ chefs, farmers, all
cafeteria staff, the PTA, principals, local farmers, the area USDA nutrition
director, and Dairy Council director work together to bring healthier, fresher
school lunches to students.
In addition to learning more about what
foods our kids are being served, everyone learns something new about the USDA, what
itÕs like to work in a public school cafeteria, and how the Chatham PTA is
working to improve the health and fitness of its youth. Onward and upward, always!
Chatham Chef Challenge is a critical
piece to The Abundance FoundationÕs mission to educate youth and adults on
local food, sustainable agriculture, and increase access to education and
consumption of local food.
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THE CHEFS:
Who: Chef Colin of Fearrington
Fresh Ingredients: Ground beef, sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta, Northern beans,
peaches
Challenge Day: April 19th, 2012
Who: Chef Hamm of CCCCÕs Natural Chef Program
Fresh Ingredients: Diced chicken, sweet potatoes, spinach, watermelon, whole grain
tortilla
Challenge Day: April 26th, 2012
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Who: Chef Jay Pierce of Lucky 32
Fresh Ingredients: Ground turkey, sweet potatoes, brown rice, black-eyed peas,
blueberries
Challenge Day: May 3rd, 2012
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Who: Larry
Robinson, Cafeteria Manager of Chatham County Schools
(no photo yet)
Fresh Ingredients: Chicken, Pinto beans, sweet potatoes, strawberries, whole grain rolls
Challenge Day: May 10th, 2012