Howard County 4-Hers Represent Arkansas at National 4-H Food Challenge Competition
Howard County 4-H sends team to National 4-H Food Challenge for the second time!!
Nashville, Ark. –
Three Howard County 4-H youth competed October 4 at the National 4-H Food Challenge Competition at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. “Seniors With Spatulas” team comprised of Adelene Westfall, Sarah Lamb and Christian Trombley represented Arkansas and competed against teams from Wyoming, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas. There were 11 teams in all.
How the competition worked
The competition included a preliminary round where teams were given a secret ingredient and had 40 minutes to prepare a nutritious, healthy dish using the ingredient. Along with preparing the dish, they had to develop a speech which included the information on the nutritional components and how they fit in a healthy diet for a person their age. Along with nutritional information, the team also had to provide information on cost analysis, recipe steps, food safety and possible substitutions.
The team was given a can of white Cannellini beans for the first round and had to make a recipe which was high in protein. The team decided to make a bean and chicken soup. The top six teams moved on to the second round, where they were given fresh mushrooms and had to develop a recipe which fit the fruit and vegetable portion of MyPlate. In this round, the team prepared a Mushroom Couscous side dish.
Competition teaches life skills and how to eat healthy
This is the second year Arkansas has participated in the National competition. According to County Extension Agent-Staff Chair, Jean Ince, “This competition teaches youth not only a life skill of learning to prepare food, but also how to improve their overall health through the foods they eat. These youth spend many hours learning about nutrition through hands-on cooking experiences. I am super proud of these kids.”
4-H is the youth development program with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and is open to any youth ages 5-19. For more information on 4-H or how to get involved, contact the Howard County Extension Service at 870-845-7517.
By Jean Ince
County Extension Agent - Staff Chair
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Jean Ince
County Extension Agent - Staff Chair
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
421 N. Main St, Nashville AR 71852
(870) 845-7517
jince@uada.edu
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