Jr IRON CHEF VT Now Accepting Teams!

Essex Junction, Vermont — Applications are now being accepted for Jr Iron Chef VT 2018, open to all middle and high school students looking to show off their skills in the kitchen.
Jr Iron Chef VT is a statewide culinary competition that challenges teams of middle and high school students to effect change in the food system by creating healthy, local dishes that inspire school meal programs. Teams consist of three to five students in 6-8th grade or 9-12th grade. For the first time this year, we will consider teams that include some 5th graders. 
 
Applications will be accepted until January 17, 2018 on a first-come, first-serve basis. The early bird registration fee is $130.00 per team, until December 15, 2017. After that the registration fee increases to $150.00. Registration will close at 75 teams. Two heats will be held the day of the competition, with 90 minutes of cooking time per heat. Winning teams receive great prize packages and have an opportunity to feature their recipes in the Vermont Statehouse Cafeteria.  
 
Jr Iron Chef VT 2018 will be held on March 17, 2018 at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction.  Applications are available at www.vtfeed.org/jrironchefvt. For more information or to support the event as a corporate sponsor, contact Marissa Watson, NOFA-VT’s School Food Programs Coordinator, by calling (802) 434-4122 or send a message to [email protected].  
 
Jr Iron Chef VT is hosted by Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT-FEED) a collaborative Farm to School Project of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT) and Shelburne Farms. From the start, the event has been committed to providing middle and high school students with a hands-on experience cooking nutritious, farm-fresh foods. When the event began in 2008, 35 teams participated. For our 10th anniversary in 2017, 230 students from 43 schools around the state competed on 54 teams.