By Sherry Fischlschweiger, Currituck Extension

The 2024 Dinah Gore 4-H Healthy Food Challenge was held on May 18 in partnership with the annual Got to Be NC Festival at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. This contest challenged teams to prepare a meal given a “secret ingredient,” food category, and items from a locally sourced pantry. With just 40 minutes to work, participants had to prepare their dishes, clean and repack their workstations, and a 5-7 minute presentation on the recipe, cooking methods, food and kitchen safety, and the nutritional values of their dish.

Currituck County’s “Kids in the Kitchen” entered a team in all three age divisions and they had a phenomenal day! Competition was fierce, particularly in the senior age group, but all our teams did an excellent job of applying all the knowledge and cooking skills they learned in multiple practice sessions leading up to the competition. Cooking skills were just one part of the competition, participants also had to learn about macronutrients, food safety, healthy food choices and then apply this knowledge in their presentation to the judges. Time management and teamwork were a critical component of the competition and the “Kids in the Kitchen” teams used both extremely well on their way to a successful finish!

Tortillas (8-10 year olds), ground pork (11-13 year olds), and strawberries (14-18 year olds) were the secret ingredients that participants learned about only moments after the 40-minute countdown began. To accompany these ingredients, participants selected from a variety of local NC fruits, vegetables, spices, sauces, eggs, and much more. These items were donated by vendors participating in the Got to Be NC festival – as local and fresh as it gets!

• The “Currituck Slicers” in the 8-10 year-old division composed of Alex Podgorsky, Peaches Wright, Ava Chancey and Aubrey McCuthchan plated their version of a street taco, placing second and earning a silver medal and $250 for the team.
• The “Currituck Dicers” won the 11-13 year old division with their tasty pork and tomato slider. Carter Chancey, Kari Shawgo and Ashlynn Ignatowicz received a gold medal and a team prize of $500.
• The “Currituck Culinary Cartel” consisting of Sammy Shawgo, Camilla McCutchan and Annelise Kinstler competed in the very competitive senior (14-18) division, plating an exceptional strawberry spinach salad.

In addition to cash prizes, winners were gifted with engraved wall plaques symbolizing this year’s event. Additionally, the first-place team in the 14-18 age division, will advance to represent North Carolina 4-H in Texas at the National 4-H Food Challenge in the late fall.

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