Chambana Sun

The Illinois 4-H Food Challenge held its second statewide event on June 14 in Decatur, Illinois. This initiative aims to equip young participants with skills in nutrition, food preparation, safety, communication, and teamwork through practical culinary experiences.

Since the program began in 2015, it has engaged over 5,000 youth. This year saw young chefs from four counties compete for state honors after participating in local competitions.

“A lot of kids have participated in a food challenge before, but we had teams that had never participated in a program like this,” said Natalie Bradley, University of Illinois Extension 4-H youth development specialist. She explained that participants need to understand basic nutrition and food safety as they present their dishes to judges.

The competition format requires teams to create a nutritious dish within 40 minutes using three mystery ingredients. They must apply their knowledge of kitchen safety and nutrition while presenting their creations to a panel of judges. Bradley noted that the competition helps participants learn teamwork, planning, organizing skills, and boosts confidence.

This year's competitors included teams such as the DeWitt County Homeschool group; The Spice Squad from Bureau and McLean Counties; Full STEAM from Iroquois County; and Clinton High School from McLean County. Judges for the event were Mark Sturgell of GROWMARK Inc., Susan Head of the Illinois Beef Association, and Mike Stubblefield of Heartland Technical Academy. The Illinois Beef Association also sponsored the event.

The challenge encourages healthy decision-making through food and connects youth with local agricultural products. It promotes an appreciation for farming and offers life skills learning opportunities.

The Spice Squad was named winners with the Dewitt County Homeschool group as runner-up.

Support for this event came from several contributors including grant funding by the Illinois Beef Association and butcher block cutting boards donated by John Boos & Co. Jaime Boas and her staff provided essential support alongside Henry Craft, Martha Ebbesmeyer, and Jaylynn Schober who were part of the planning committee.

Illinois 4-H is a flagship youth development program administered by University of Illinois Extension through its College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. It focuses on empowering youth today for future careers through hands-on learning experiences.