In a display of culinary prowess, the "Knights of Culinary" team from Northern High in Durham Public Schools emerged victorious at the 2025 NC Jr. Chef Competition, claiming the coveted first place with their chipotle beef and sweet potato Skillet. According to the announcement by the NC Department of Public Instruction, the team not only won the top honors but also took home a silver medal for their efforts.
The competition, featuring high school finalist teams from across North Carolina, aimed to challenge students to create school lunch entrée recipes that were not only nutritious but also appealing to their peers. The winning team managed to seamlessly blend ingredients like North Carolina-grown beef, onions, peppers, collard greens, and sweet potatoes, adding a homemade avocado jalapeno crema to top off the dish. Their creation met the criteria of including at least two locally-grown products and maintaining compliance with school nutrition program standards.
Coming in second place, the "Cloudy with a Chance of Pasta" team from Martin County High won hearts with their Chicken Parmesan Pasta, accompanied by a fresh salad and homemade apple cider vinaigrette, securing a silver medal. The third place was snagged by the "Blazin’ Bulldogs" from Thomasville High, who impressed with their Chicken Philly Cheese Bowl. Ashe County High's "Gordon Ramsey's Minions" also received recognition and a silver medal for their Baked Chicken Empanadas, as mentioned in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction press release.
The event served to not only showcase the young chefs' culinary skills but also their ability to rigorously work with local school nutrition programs. State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mo Green, extended his congratulations "to each of the NC Jr. Chef teams." In his view, competitions like these offer a pivotal chance for students to "explore future career options and apply lessons learned in the classroom to a real-world application in creating recipes for appealing, nutritious school meals," as mentioned on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website.
Throughout the competition, finalists were required to present their dishes through virtual interviews to a panel of evaluators who assessed a range of skills from recipe development, culinary and food safety, to knowledge on farm to school initiatives. Rachel Findley, NCDPI’s Senior Director for School Nutrition, highlighted the importance of such events, stating that they enable students "to learn about and appreciate all that goes on behind the scenes to create recipes for school meals."
The victorious NC Jr. Chef teams were recognized in a virtual awards ceremony, each member receiving chef coats, hats, certificates, and medals based on team scores. The winning "Knights of Culinary" team will also hold the honor of hosting the competition trophy until the next cook-off and will proceed to compete at the regional level at Sullivan University in Kentucky this coming May. Scholarships from Sullivan University await the members of the top three teams, marking a significant incentive and opportunity for these aspiring chefs.
