Presenting Sponsor: Applegate Farms

"The most important thing we can do to instill lifelong healthy eating habits in our children is to connect them to the food they eat by teaching them to cook and taking them to farms to see how food is grown. To make good decisions about what to eat, we need to be equipped with the basic knowledge of how food gets from the farm to our table.
The Cooking Up Change contest appeals 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.

Applegate Farms and Healthy Schools Campaign share the same mission in that we want to change the way America eats. At Applegate Farms we do that by educating consumers about the environmental, social and economic impact of their food choices. Similarly, HSC is changing the future of school food by educating students, teachers, families, and administrators about the food they eat, and advocating to have fresh, healthy food served in schools. We both understand that change is a grassroots effort that’s built from the ground up.

Everyone at Applegate Farms is looking forward to this year’s Cooking Up Change Contest. There’s something powerful that occurs when a good meal is shared with others, and that feeling was overwhelmingly evident at last year’s contest. The students had a palpable sense of pride and accomplishment when they presented their creations to the judges and guests, and we all left that night feeling nourished in the true sense of the word."

~ Stephen McDonnell, CEO, Applegate Farms

Platinum Sponsor: T-fal

With the Healthy Cooking Contest, Susan Bridges, national bridal/merchandising manager for platinum sponsor T-fal, saw the perfect opportunity for her organization to get involved with promoting healthy cooking among young people.

“It’s got to be very exciting to have the chance to see their meal served in the schools,” she said. “It’s kind of like making the hall of fame.”

She hopes that the contest will help encourage students to pursue careers in the culinary world, bringing the unique skills in healthy cooking that they develop during their preparation for the competition.

With T-fal’s position at the heart of the culinary and cookware world, its leaders have a chance to observe – and work to influence – trends throughout the industry.

“We see trends toward healthier eating, local sourcing, healthier kitchens,” Bridges said. “But on the other hand, we still see stuff going the other way with high calorie, high fat foods. That’s why we think that programs like HSC’s are so important.”