Healthy School Lunch Recipe Contest Judging Event Scheduled for February 11th
Nutley, NJ – The Community is invited to come out and support the final contestants of the Nutley Healthy School Lunch Recipe Contest by attending the Final Judging Event on Saturday, February 11th at 9am. The event will be held at the Nutley High School Cafeteria, with judging for the K-3rd Grade Category beginning promptly at 9am and judging for the 4th-6th Grade Category at 10am.
“This has been a collaborative effort by a great team consisting of the Department of Public Affairs, the Nutley Board of Education and Chartwells, the district’s food service provider,” according to the Interim Director of Public Affairs, Thomas J. Evans.
The contest has given school-aged children the chance to express their creativity while learning hands-on about the principles of healthy eating and good nutrition. Out of 47 original registrants, 14 participants’ recipes have made it through the initial screening process to the final judging round. “We’re so impressed with how contestants rose to the challenge of creating recipes consistent with the latest nutritional guidelines for school meals, including more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat proteins. They’ve proven that you can make fun, delicious food that is also good for you.”
The community is invited and encouraged to view the judging event and support the contestants. First, second and third place winners will be awarded in each grade category, and one overall grand prize winner will be selected from the first place winners by a panel of judges from various food, nutrition and wellness-related disciplines. Mountainside Hospital, Chartwells and Munch Catering will be represented on the panel, along with the owner of a local eatery as well as a clinical dietitian.
The grand-prize winner’s recipe will be incorporated in the Nutley School Lunch Menu for the 2012-2013 school year by our food-service provider, Chartwells. The other first-place winning recipe and the two second-place recipes will be featured for a limited time on The Chestnut Café’s menu, a local Nutley eatery. A second restaurant is in the process of being added and will be confirmed by the Judging Event on February 11th.
All participants will be featured in and receive an electronic copy of the Nutley Healthy School Lunch Recipe Contest Cookbook.
The Nutley Healthy School Lunch Recipe Contest is just one activity that is part of the Nutley Fit Kids program, a Nutley Healthy Town Initiative, which is designed to engage Nutley children and teens, grades K-12, in activity to promote a healthy mind, body and spirit – achieving overall wellness.
For more information about the Nutley Healthy Lunch Recipe Contest or the Nutley Fit Kids Program, please contact the Department of Public Affairs at 973-284-4976, or visit the Township’s official website at www.nutleynj.org.
