Healthy Schools Campaign Presents Cooking up Change 2012 November 9, 2012

Student chefs, celebrity judges and hundreds of hungry guests will gather for Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change 2012, a sizzling cooking competition aimed at transforming the future of school food on Friday, November 9 from 6 – 10 pm at the Bridgeport Art Center’s Skyline Loft, 1200 W. 35th St. With a stunning view Chicago’s skyline, guests will sample healthy culinary creations at more than a dozen tasting stations, mingle with the chefs of tomorrow and learn about local and national efforts to improve school food. The one-of-a-kind fundraiser also includes a signature cocktail, a silent auction and a raffle drawing with a grand prize getaway to California Wine Country. The evening culminates in an award ceremony for Chicago’s top student chefs! Tickets for Cooking up Change cost $100 and are available through www.cookingupchange.org.

Student teams from 15 Chicago public high schools, mentored by some of the city’s top culinary experts, will compete for top honors at Cooking up Change. The contest challenges students to create a great-tasting school lunch that meets nutrition standards on a tight budget, using only ingredients commonly available for school food service. The flagship Chicago contest launches the 2012-13 Cooking up Change national challenge, with local contests to follow in eight more cities across the country. The winners from the Chicago contest will move on to the Cooking up Change National Finals in Washington, D.C. next spring, where they will compete with other local champions from across the country and will present their meal to Congress.

Proceeds from Cooking up Change benefit Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), an independent not-for-profit organization advocating for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn and work in a healthy school environment.

Generous sponsors include Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, the American Federation of Teachers, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Southwest Airlines, the James Beard Foundation, and Preferred Meal Systems, Inc.

“Healthy Schools Campaign presents Cooking up Change because we believe it is critical for student voices to be part of the national dialogue on healthy school food,” said Rochelle Davis, HSC President and CEO. “Cooking up Change provides a tangible and powerful platform for students to show the world the kind of healthy food that they and their peers would like to eat at school. This is especially relevant in light of recent news about high school students protesting changes to their school menus. Cooking up Change not only provides a platform for students to speak up – it also engages them very literally in creating healthy solutions.”

Cooking up Change Celebrity Judges
The 2012 judges include: John Chiakulas, Partner and Corporate Executive Chef, Lettuce Entertain You; Leslie Fowler, Director, Office of Nutrition Support Services, Chicago Public Schools; Susan Goss, Chef/owner, West Town Tavern, Corey McPherrin, Anchorman, Good Day Chicago; Carrie Nahabedian, Executive Chef, NAHA; Rose Palazzolo, Managing Editor, Epicurious/Gourmet.com; Ina Pinkney, Chef/owner, Ina’s; Tony Priolo, Executive chef/owner, Piccolo Sogno; Jesse Ruiz, Vice President, Chicago Board of Education; Julie Smith, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor; Beth Swanson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Education, Office of the Mayor; Erick Williams, MK Restaurant; and Travis Young, Regional VP, Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality.

The Cooking up Change Competitors
The 2012 Chicago High School teams include: Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Clemente Community Academy, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, Fenger Academy, Harper High School, Juarez Community Academy, Manley Career Academy, North-Grand High School, Prosser Career Academy, Simeon Career Academy, Southside Occupational, Tilden Career Academy and Washington High School.

The Cooking up Change Mentors
In addition to talented culinary instructors at their respective high schools, student teams are mentored by some of the city’s top culinary professionals, including: Matt Eversman, from OON Chicago; John Abels and Austin Yancey from Le Cordon Bleu; Kevin Kelly and Evelyn Hitchcock from J&L Catering; Joel Nickson from Wishbone; Sarai Rosales from Frontera Grill; Janet Kirker from Foodease; Steven Obendorf from Quest Food Service/Latin School of Chicago; Patrick Williams from Grampa Boo’s Barbeque and Dirk Flanigan from The Gage.

The Cooking up Change Co-Chairs
National Honorary Co-Chairs: Karen Duncan, Christopher G. Kennedy and Amy Rule.
Event Co-Chairs: Susan Geraghty, Chef Jill Houk and Gwen G. Solberg.
Healthy Cooking Contest Co-Chairs: Chef Laura Ramirez and Chef Randy Zwieban. Official Education Partner: Chicago Public Schools Office of Pathways to College and Career.

Cooking up Change History
Cooking up Change is now in its sixth year. Last year, culinary students from Chicago Career Vocational Academy won first place with a meal of antibiotic-free oven-fried chicken (an ingredient recently added to CPS lunch menus), sweet potato salad and collard green with cabbage – but that was only the beginning! Over the next year, the winning meal was served at high schools across the city, sampled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, presented at the national School Food FOCUS conference and featured at Chicago’s annual Taste of Chicago. The team also made several local television appearances, visited an Amish farm in Indiana to learn more about chicken raised without antibiotics and traveled to Washington, D.C. to share their winning meal at a Congressional briefing on antibiotic-free chicken in school meals. Finally, the students competed at the Cooking up Change National Finals in D.C., where their meal won Honorable Mention for Best Presentation.

The Cooking up Change Grand Prize Raffle Drawing:

1st Prize: California Wine Country Getaway
Relax with a three-night stay at Oak Hill, a four-bedroom house on the Cima Collina organic winery vineyard in Carmel Valley, CA. Enjoy a winery tour and tasting, relax in your private pool and hot tub with breathtaking views of the vineyard. Includes four round trip tickets to San Jose (a 1.5 hour drive to Oak Hill) or any Southwest Airlines
destination in the continental U.S. Donated by Richard Lumpkin, Bess Celio and Southwest Airlines. Value: $5,000

About Healthy Schools Campaign
Healthy Schools Campaign is a leading authority on healthy school environments and a voice for people who care about our environment, our children and education. HSC’s mission is to advocate for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn and work in a healthy school environment. HSC accomplishes this work by addressing issues of environmental health and wellness in schools. The organization prepares school stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, school nurses, administrators, community members and others — to become leaders in efforts to create change at the school, district, state and national levels. By working with this diverse group of stakeholders, HSC advocates for change in the school environment and raise awareness of the ways that the air children breathe, the food they eat and the opportunities they have to be physically active shape their health and learning for a lifetime. For more information on HSC and its many programs, visit www.healthyschoolscampaign.org.