Approximately 150 budding elementary, middle, and high school chefs sliced and diced their way to glory during this year’s Children’s Aid Iron Go!Chefs competition. Held at the Frederick Douglass Center in Harlem, the event served as the culminating experience for students who spent the school year in the Children’s Aid’s Go!Chefs after-school hands-on cooking and nutrition program.

This year each team, supported by Children’s Aid nutritionists, prepared a dish inspired by books like “Anne of Green Gables,” “The Lorax,” “Like Water for Chocolate,” and “The House on Mango Street.” In the end, the East Harlem Jalapenos from the elementary school round and the Fannie Lou Growling Panthers from the middle school and high school round both took home the coveted prize for “Best All-Around Iron Go!Chefs.” Guest judges included Phoebe Boyer, president and CEO of Children’s Aid; Miriam Martinez, chief program officer; Morgan Ames, policy advisor for Food Policy in the Office of the Mayor; and Chef Ben Liquet, owner of the cookie company “Contains Nuts.”

Go!Chefs operates in 15 Children’s Aid community centers and schools, serving 1,500 children each year. Our cooking classes teach kids as young as 6 years old basic kitchen skills and introduces them to the joy of eating and cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables. By preparing and enjoying nutritious and delicious food early on, children are provided the tools to make healthy choices that will serve them throughout adulthood.

Congratulations to all our young chefs for raising the bar for the competition yet again.