(Pictured: Wayne Napples and Jazmyne Peeples from RSU 75)
On May 7th, three school teams squared off at Central Maine Community College in Auburn for the Maine Department of Education (DOE) 2024 Farm to School Cook-off.
Teams representing RSU 75, Lewiston Public Schools and Auburn Public Schools, and consisting of one school nutrition employee and one student, sharpened their knives and skills for a fun day of cooking. They whipped up vegetarian and meat-based dishes using local tofu donated from Heiwa Tofu in Rockport and local chicken donated from Maine Family Farms in Portland; both of which were challenge ingredients for the competition. The dishes were scored based on presentation, taste, creative use of challenge ingredients, and feasibility to be used in a school kitchen.
The first course was a vegetarian meal highlighting tofu. Brittany Cote and Simon Bolduc from Auburn Public Schools came prepared making a delicious tofu parmesan meal made with Maine Marinara Sauce, which was a fun twist on the popular comfort food. Alicia Smith and her son Jesse Smith from Lewiston Public Schools made a tofu ramen bowl, using meatballs made with tofu and a kick of spice, and whole grain noodles for the pasta. Wayne Napples and Jazmyne Peeples from RSU 75 made a BBQ lime tofu kabob that was vibrantly colored with vegetables that resemble summer is right around the corner.
Next, came the meat-based meal for round two of the competition. RSU 75 and Lewiston both came prepared making hot honey chicken sandwiches; each with their own unique style; one with a whole grain pretzel bun and the other with a whole grain croissant. Auburn created a chicken shawarma on a toasted whole grain flatbread, marinated chicken that brought aromatic spices across the kitchen and tzatziki sauce.
The RSU 75 team, who was new to the competition this year, ended up walking away with the grand prize, and meat-based meal winner. Lewiston walked away as the vegetarian meal winner. A great day was had by all, and the teams showed great creativity, execution of ingredients, and teamwork throughout the entire competition.
Guest judges were: Carrie Clark, a chef judge from Norimoto Bakery in Portland; Ellen Dore, the School Nutrition Director for RSU 16; and Georgia Knowles this year’s student judge, she is a 7th grader at King Middle School in Portland.
The Maine DOE Child Nutrition Team is always looking for new teams to participate in the cook-off! For more information and to learn more about Maine’s Farm & Sea to School Program, visit the Maine DOE website or reach out to the Maine DOE Child Nutrition Team.