Crystal Lake fourth-grader a finalist in national chef competition

Emmie Picchi, a fourth-grader at Woods Creek Elementary School in Crystal Lake, is among five national finalists in the Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge.

Recipes from Picchi and four students from Indiana, Massachusetts, Oregon and Oklahoma schools made the cut from nearly 2,600 entries.

Sodexo provides food and facilities management for 400 school districts nationwide. Students from more than 1,300 Sodexo-served elementary schools in 256 districts in 30 states participated to create healthy, Asian-inspired recipes. Judges evaluated recipes on originality, healthy attributes, ease of preparation, kid-friendliness and presentation at regional competitions.

Picchi earned first place in the Sodexo Future Chefs semifinals March 24 at Hannah Beardsley Middle School in Crystal Lake. She and eight other District 47 fourth- and fifth-graders prepared recipes. She was the only student from Illinois to finish among 40 regional semifinalists.

Her recipe involved creating crunchy won ton taco cups - a fusion of Asian and Mexican food styles.

"I was looking for an Asian-inspired recipe and found one on Pinterest, so I decided to make it my own," said Picchi, 9, who became interested in cooking because her parents love to cook.

She watches cooking shows, has been cooking about two years and enjoys making ethnic foods, she said.

Now in its eighth year, the Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge encourages healthy eating habits by actively involving students in good nutrition.

Starting Monday the public can view video submissions and vote for a winning recipe at sodexoinsights.com. Voting ends at 11 p.m. April 29. A winner is announced April 30.