Featured Sponsor: Applegate Farms

"As our society has come to rely increasingly on processed food, kids have become disconnected from the source of their food and its preparation. Taking kids to farms and teaching them how to cook are two ways to reconnect them to food and ultimately change their relationship with it. The Cooking Up Change contest appealed to us at Applegate Farms because it provides kids with the hands-on creative experience of cooking with healthy food that’s fundamental to changing their eating habits.

"At Applegate Farms, our mission is to change the way America eats. We want people to understand that the food they eat affects more than their health. It has environmental, social, and economic implications as well. To us, the healthiness of a food item is determined more by its source than its calorie content. This food philosophy is completely aligned with the work of the HSC. By educating students, teachers, families, and administrators about food and advocating to have healthy food served in Chicago’s public schools, the HSC is on the frontline in our mission to change the way America eats!

"Our hope is that the students come up with creative and resourceful solutions to the problem of feeding kids healthy food within the constraints of a typical school budget. Kids are notorious for outwitting adults. We hope this is one of those times!"

~ Stephen McDonnell, CEO, Applegate Farms