Ready for kitchen showdown
A Mexican burrito with salad served four students from Otaua School with a place as semifinalists in this year’s Maggi Pop-up Kitchen Showdown.
The Maggi Pop-up Kitchen Showdown is a cooking competition that encourages both good cooking and eating habits for 11-16 year olds.
Charlotte Morriss, Georgia Davis, Charlotte Baker and Yvette McDonald are the fourth team to make the semi-finals, where they will cook-off against five other teams from schools around New Zealand to make the final three.
The team, called The Amigos, cooked their winning dish on
in July. The students had to show the judges that a tasty and healthy meal can cost less than $20 and be cooked in under 30 minutes.
Teacher, Kelly Andrew, encouraged the group to embrace the challenge and said she was immensely proud of the hard work the students put into creating a healthy alternative to a much-loved dish.
‘‘The students were motivated from the start and supported each other through the entire process, from the idea to the creation and execution, The Amigos made a meal that is delicious, affordable and includes half a plate of vegetables,’’ Andrew said.
‘‘The importance of teaching young people to cook balanced meals was highlighted in a recent study conducted by Massey University. The results showed that less than 50 per cent of students were taught how to plan, prepare and cook a nutritious meal.’’
Maggi’s Pop-up Kitchen Show- down judge and lead chef for Nestle´ Foods, Richard Brogan, said that cooking competitions like this gave young people the confidence to try new things.
‘‘We learn best through doing, and the competition inspires budding cooks to get creative and design meals that look great and taste great, while practising new culinary skills they can apply in everyday life.’’
The final is on August 28, with $5000 gifted to the winning school, as well as $250 for each winning team member.