Cooking up Change with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel!

March 27, 2012 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel with the Cooking up Change team from Chicago Vocational Career Academy

Today, the winning team of student chefs from Cooking up Change Chicago shared the school lunch they designed with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel!

The mayor enjoyed seconds of the award-winning meal of oven-fried chicken, sautéed cabbage and collard greens and sweet potato salad created by students from Chicago Vocational Career Academy.

“It felt good to see him enjoy our lunch,” said team member Sheanice Dishmon. “It was a new experience because I had the opportunity to sit with him and enjoy the meal our team created together.”

As part of Cooking up Change, the students created their meal to meet strong nutrition standards on a tight budget, comparable to that of school food service. Limited to ingredients that school dining managers in Chicago Public Schools can order for school lunch, the students took advantage of an ingredient that is new this year: drumsticks from chicken raised without antibiotics on Amish farms in nearby Indiana. In May, the team will prepare this lunch when they compete in the Cooking up Change national finals in Washington, DC. Chef Instructor Lorraine Harris said Mayor Emanuel told the students “we’re going to win and bring that victory to Chicago!”

Congratulations to the student chefs and thanks to Mayor Emanuel for spotlighting their great work!

P.S. Check out the Mayor’s Facebook page and his congratulatory words to the team.

Make sure you like the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Facebook page as well!