Our New Partnership with Vermont Afterschool to Host Jr Iron Chef VT

We're excited to announce a new partnership with Vermont Afterschool to host the Jr Iron Chef VT program! Since 2008, over 4,500 Vermont teens have participated in the culinary competition, developing skills and knowledge of healthy cooking, local foods, teamwork and leadership while being exposed to career opportunities in the food system. 

This year’s event will be held at the Champlain Valley Expo on March 12, 2022, and team registration is open now. Jr Iron Chef VT is a statewide culinary competition challenging teams of middle and high school students to engage in improving their own health and the health of their community by creating nutritious, local dishes to inspire school meal programs.

Vermont Afterschool will take on overall management and hosting of the Jr. Iron Chef VT competition, while Vermont FEED will continue to serve as a program advisor. "As partners, we look forward to continuing the great tradition of Jr Iron Chef VT and the opportunity for middle and high school-aged young people to explore careers," says Holly Morehouse, Vermont Afterschool’s Executive Director.  

“Over the years, many of our Jr Iron Chef VT teams have emerged from afterschool clubs and activities, so passing the event to Vermont Afterschool is a perfect fit,” says Vermont FEED Project Director Betsy Rosenbluth. “We’re excited to see the program grow, reach more Vermont students, and expand their knowledge and skills around local food, scratch cooking and teamwork.”

The program has a long history of collaboration and evolution. April 11, 2008 marked the launch of the very first event as an effort between two leaders in the Farm to School movement: the Burlington School Food Project and Vermont FEED. And in the 2020-21 school year, the program was reimagined as a virtual cooking club to keep the spirit of the program alive while in-person events were unsafe.

Although the Jr Iron Chef VT competition is held once a year, its influence and impact extends well beyond the event. Teams work together all throughout the school year, developing recipes, learning cooking techniques, and exploring new foods (like local rutabaga!). School food change takes many players—students, food service, parents, and the community. Jr Iron Chef involves all of these contributors to create a vibrant, fun, and wildly popular event. Cheers to the 2021-22 season and beyond!