And the winner of the Sodexo 2024 Woodhaven-Brownstown Future Chefs competition is Haya Mehmood with her chicken samosa recipe. (Photo provided by Sodexo)
Students from this year's regional finals mixed their dishes in the kitchen at Woodhaven High School to determine the 2024 regional champion as Goodis Elementary School's 2023 National Future Chef winner Ibraheem Ali looked on.
This year's winners, along with school and cooking, included:
Lucia Araujo — Bates Elementary School (3rd grade): Apple Venezolana
Riley Gerrity — Irving Elementary School (5th grade): Whimsical Cakes
Haya Mehmood — Gudis Elementary School (Grade 3): Chicken Samosas
Emily Smith — 5th grade – Manicotti with mushroom sauce
Vinko Margildzic — Yaki Elementary School (3rd grade) Albanian
A panel of judges evaluated each dish, scoring it for its originality, healthy qualities, ease of preparation, child-friendliness, suitability for school lunches, and more. It was outstanding. Chicken samosas made by Mehmood.
Ali will “pass the winner's hat to Mehmood” and her recipe will be evaluated by an online regional committee to decide whether it advances to the national nomination stage.
The contest is sponsored by Sodexo, a local food supplier.
Woodhaven-Brownstown students join more than 2,600 other students representing more than 1,300 schools served by Sodexo, said Tracy Price, the district's Sodexo operations manager.
A total of 250 competitions will be held in more than 30 states in the challenge of finding a national champion.
“Now in its 14th year, this national challenge was created to encourage students and families to think about healthy food choices while being active and creative in the kitchen.” said Price. “The Future Chef event aims to educate students about healthy eating habits, which is why we submitted recipes for this year’s theme: My Favorite Family Recipes.”
As student interest increases, so does the attention to the contest.
After all, among the many school districts vying for the top award, Woodhaven-Brownstown School District is one of a select group that can claim to have a prestigious national winner.
This year, the competition was live-streamed on YouTube, and the children's activities could be seen.
