On July 18, 54 children and their parents swooped into our nation’s capital, carrying award winning recipes that won them a ticket to the third annual Kids’ “State Dinner” hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. The illustrious group of budding chefs and healthy eaters gathered in the White House’s East Room where they tasted delicious and nutritious foods, heard from Michelle Obama, toured the White House Kitchen Garden and were surprised with a very special visitor: the president! 

This summer, over 1,500 junior chefs submitted lunchtime recipes for the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner” contest, put on by Epicurious and the White House. Children between the ages of 8 and 12, along with the help of their parents, were invited to submit an original healthy, creative, affordable and delicious recipe. The judges selected three potential winners from each state/US territory based on the following criteria. 50% of the score was based on the nutritional value of the recipe, based on USDA’s MyPlate, 25% on taste, 15% on originality, 5% on affordability and the final 5% on the story behind the recipe. Taking all of this into account, the judges, including Executive Director of Let’s Move! And Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition, Sam Kass, and Deputy Director of the USDA, Jackie Haven, to name a few, narrowed down the entries to 54 winners – no small task!

The winners were announced in June and State Dinner menu planning began! From Grilled Salmon with Farro and Warm Swiss Chard Salad to a Quinoa Sweet Potato Boat, whole grains were all over the menu and we couldn’t be more proud! One of our favorite recipes comes from Yonah Kalikow, age 10 from The Whole Grains Council/Oldways’ home state of Massachusetts; Yonah made Quinoa Lentil Burgers with Kale Slaw. The creative youngster found herself with leftover ingredients and challenged herself to make something delicious and nutritious with them:

My family and I were cleaning out our house for Passover, and I wanted to give myself a challenge. I used ingredients that we needed to get rid of for Passover for the burger. Then I thought, kale is a very big power food, and I have it a lot and enjoy it, so why don’t I make a salad with it? I was thinking that most burgers come with coleslaw, so I made a kale slaw instead.

Another favorite recipe, the Tangy Veggy Springetty (with a name like that, how could you not love it?) comes from Jasmy Mavilla, from Kansas. A whole grain hero and a veggie/fruit lover, at the ripe old age of 8, Jasmy already has garden to table down:

I love to help my dad grow vegetable and fruits in our home garden, and I love to help my mom use those veggies in different ways with our cooking. My favorite dish is this spaghetti with lots of vegetables and shrimp cooked in lemony sauce. I like to eat this with fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie.

These budding chefs and whole grain heroes are a true testament to the bright future of healthy eating and the prominence of whole grains on every plate. The inspiring kids are a shining example of the direction food is going in and that the next generations of kids truly appreciate great tasting, healthy food. While all of the 1,200+ participants are winners in our book, we look forward to watching the 54 finalists as they continue to shape the ever-changing food world. (Mallory)