It didn't make the Food Network, but the heat was on last Saturday when 12 groups of high school students showed up for Vermont's first annual Jr. Iron Chef [1] competition at "Kitchen Stadium," a.k.a. the "Blue Ribbon" building at the Champlain Valley Expo. The budding cooks competed for a trio of prizes: "Most Creative Dish," "Most-Best Use of Local Ingredients" and "Best in Show." Earlier in the day, 23 teams of middle-school students went head to head for the same honors.

The culinary competition — which asked students to create recipes that used five or more local ingredients and could easily be replicated in a school cafeteria — was a benefit for VT Feed [2] and the Burlington School Food Project [3]. It capped nearly eight months of planning and organizing. "I think it was an astonishingly successful event," boasts Stephanie Clark of the Burlington Legacy Project [4]. "A lot of people came out to support it, and I was really happy with the enthusiasm and the energy of the participants."

Participants in the Intervale Center's Healthy City [5]program, won "Best in Show" for their trio of colorful veggie tater tots with a creamy dipping sauce.

For observers, it was a chance to learn about Healthy City, which Director Jenn McGowan calls a program for "kids who want to make a difference in their community." The youngsters work 25 hours per week all summer, learning how to grow vegetables for a CSA and three farmers' markets, as well as for Fletcher Allen [6] and the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf [7].

Currently, Healthy City is still accepting applications for youth who are interested in the program, as well as for prospective CSA members. This year, 75 shares are on offer.