Healthy eating focus at Future Chefs contest at District 116

Some budding chefs at Round Lake Area Unit District 116 might challenge Food Network's Bobby Flay or Rachael Ray in a few years.

As part of a healthy eating initiative, 16 finalists from the district's elementary schools created nutritious and delicious breakfasts Thursday at John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake as part of the national 2016 Future Chefs Challenge sponsored by food provider Sodexo USA. The field was narrowed from 72 fourth- and fifth-graders who submitted healthy breakfast recipes.

"This was really fantastic," said District 116 board President Kevin Daniels, who was one of three judges. "The kids were so creative."

Danaya Cantrell, a fifth-grader at Round Lake's Indian Hill Elementary School, took a gold medal for her breakfast banana pops after judging by Daniels, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Bill Johnston and Associate Director of Fiscal Services Kristi McCaulou.

Danaya's mother, Dynnesha Howard of Round Lake, helped with the recipe. Mother and daughter said they enjoy cooking healthy meals together.

"We just decided to put together strawberry yogurt, granola, oatmeal and chocolate chips for a little taste," said Danaya, who like the other contestants donned a chef hat and coat.

Working alongside the other 15 children in Magee Middle School's crowded kitchen, Danaya placed the bananas on sticks and popped them into a freezer for about 10 minutes.

She received a bicycle and cooking gadgets as part of her prize package.

Other creations included a peanut butter, banana and oatmeal combination by fifth-grader Melissa Brown of Round Lake Village Elementary School, and a potato scramble by fourth-grader Emily Kabrin of Round Lake Beach Elementary School. All of the budding chefs were standing by samples of their creations when the judges walked by their tables.

Sodexo's Gwendolyn Williams, who handles District 116 food service, was impressed with the breakfast creations.

"If they made it to the district finals, they are the healthiest of the healthy," Williams said.

Students were judged on originality, taste, ease of presentation, kid-friendly appeal and use of healthy ingredients. Sodexo provided ingredients and employees to assist the kids in the kitchen.

Danaya's recipe will be considered for a regional finalist award. The national champion eventually will be decided by a vote of cooking videos from five finalists posted on Sodexo's website.

About 2,500 students across the country are participating in the Future Chefs Challenge.

Sodexo's Stephen Dunmore, chief executive officer for the company's North American schools operation, said concerns about the high level of overweight or obese children in the United States drove the idea for the competition.