Six contestants diced garlic, sautéed shrimp, and whisked homemade dressing as they vied for the title of Ansonia’s Salad Chef at Ansonia High School on March 27.
The contestants were sixth graders from Prendergast and Mead School, and they met the challenge well in front of nearly 30 teachers, family members and staff from the Valley Initiative to Advance Health & Learning in Schools (VITAHLS).
In the end, it was Kiersten LaRue and her Wonton Bowls with Buffalo Chicken Salad, who edged out her peers.
Kiersten will represent Ansonia in a Valley-wide competition, the VITAHLS Healthy Cooking Challenge on May 19 at Molto Bene Restaurant in Ansonia.
The judges for the Valley-wide competition will be the mayors and first selectmen from the four Valley communities, as well as Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center.
Since 2011, the Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Shelton school districts in Connecticut have been actively involved in VITAHLS.
The mission of the school-based childhood obesity prevention initiative is to reduce the prevalence of obesity in students in grades Pre‑K – 12 by integrating a variety of nutrition and physical activity programming into the existing school structure.
This spring, sixth graders in the four Valley school districts were invited to participate in a healthy cooking contest as a fun and exciting way to promote healthy eating and to promote a lifetime passion for cooking.
The six Ansonia students invited to participate in the cook-off on March 27 were Prendergast School sixth graders Skylar Evans (Chopped Shrimp Salad), Makayla Godfrey (Chop-Chop Salad with Blue Cheese), Garrett Cafaro (Cabbage-Pineapple Slaw), Elton Sela (Elton’s Great Salad) and Kiersten Larue; and from Mead School, David Michaud (Green Goddess Salad).
The salads are going to be served after lunch on April 4 at Prendergast School, in order to give the rest of the sixth graders an opportunity to sample them.
Ansonia’s contest judges were Joe Apicella, principal of Prendergast School; Terri Goldson, principal of Mead School; and Michael Wilson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools. The judges ranked each salad based on originality, healthiness, use of ingredients and plate presentation.
Each student received chef jackets and hats, and Kiersten Larue also received a $50 gift card to Chef’s Emporium in Orange.
