Gridiron cookoff
Young chefs compete at Dolphins training center
Competition was hot and heavy for the Dairy Council of Florida’s third annual Gridiron Cooking Challenge at the Dolphins Training Facility in Davie.
However, itwas the cheesy polenta with southwestern Ragu from Everglades Elementary (Palm Beach County) that won over judges.
Other finalists included Nova D. Eisenhower Elementary School’s fruit and waffle kabobs, Gove Elementary School’s breakfast boat and Rock Solid Christian Academy’s mini fruit salad. Medals were handed out with winners taking home iPad Minis, a $2,500 prize pack for their school and a Publix Aprons cooking class.
Dolphins’ defensive end Cameron Wake was on hand for the festivities and, of course, to sample the food. “It’s rewarding to be here,” he said. “I live and die nutrition because that’s how I succeed on the field. It’s good to have the building blocks early for these kids, so when they get older they can make the right decisions for themselves. You wouldn’t think kabobs or tacos are really healthy, but they’ve done it in a creative way. Everything here is literally delicious.”
Each teamwas given an hour to create their tasty entries before presenting them to the four judges, which included executive chefs, a Florida dairy farmer and a Fuel Up to Play 60 student. The four schools’ recipes, which had to feature dairy ingredients, were selected as out of around 40 others in the area.
“Therewas a time when people cooked all the time, butwe have kind of gotten away from that,” Vanessa Hodak, vice president of school and wellness for the Dairy Council of Florida.
“So this gives kids a chance to have fun preparing food. Wewant them to get inspired by what they eat and take an active role in what they put in their bodies. It’s all about nutrition and fitness. Also, these teams are student led. We are all about youth empowerment so they can be leaders and agents for change for their community.”
Kayla Bello of Nova Eisenhower, which haswon in the past, is no stranger to cooking challenges. She even worked alongside celeb chef Robert Irvine for one. She says the Davie school did a poll to generate feedback and interest. The fifth grader and other participants made the kabob a couple of times before to practice. Shewas happy with the finished result.
“I think things went well for us, but I was focused on how fun itwas,” Bello said. “We worked really well as a team. We made it a couple of times at home. It’s really cool and fun to cook at home. Being able to come here withmy team and cook in front of professionals is nice.”
Sindey Wolfe, Nova parent volunteer, feels the event sends a positive message to those involved.
“It’s good to get our kids thinking about fueling up before we exercise,” she said.
“We really promote exercise and eating healthy at the school. Above all else, we want to make it fun for the kids.”
Her son Alec, nowin sixth grade, participated for two years. This time he is supporting from the sidelines.
“It’s fun to cheer the team,” he said. “I’m also a big Dolphins fan.”
The “Bubble” also hosted the Family Fit Fest with health screenings, raffles, giveaways, Dolphins player and mascot appearances, cheerleaders, cooking demonstrations and interactive activities. The Gridiron Cooking Challenge is created and supported by the Florida Dairy Farmers and part of the Fuel Up to Play 60, an inschool nutrition and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council and NFL to help encourage today’s youth to lead healthier lives. Similar competitions are held in Tampa and Jacksonville.