The Top 5 Reasons to Come to Cooking up Change Chicago
October 21, 2015 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign
Cooking up Change Chicago is less than two weeks away. Culinary students around the city are working hard to fine tune their delicious recipes and polishing up their presentations to the judges.
Teams from 16 CPS high schools will meet on Oct. 29 at the Bridgeport Art Center for a city-wide cook-off where a panel of esteemed judges will determine the best school meal. The event also serves as the annual fundraiser for Healthy Schools Campaign—and it’s a ton of fun!
We’ve rounded up the top five reasons you should attend Cooking up Change Chicago this year, though there are many, many more.
1. Meet and talk with incredible student chefs
On Oct. 29, the Bridgeport Art Center’s Skyline Loft will be abuzz with the energy from 100 student competitors. At the event you can chat with these incredible student chefs about their meals, their recipe planning process and their experiences with school food. You can then feel the excitement in the room and cheer along with the crowd as the winner is announced.
2. Taste amazing food
The food that these students make is seriously good eats. Did you ever eat Haitian-spiced chicken or chicken curry in your school cafeteria? Don’t you wish you had? Not only are these dishes inventive, they also adhere to strict nutrition and budgetary guidelines that ensure schools across the country can replicate them. Come taste the future of school food!
3. Enter the grand raffle
This year, we’re raffling off a ski vacation for four at the #1 ski resort in the country (according to the readers of SKI Magazine). Experience rustic mountain elegance and world-class skiing with a four-night stay at Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park in Utah. The ski-in/ski-out property in includes three bedrooms, private spa, fireplace and more. Only 300 tickets will be sold! Tickets are $50 each or three for $100. Get tickets!
4. Bid on great items in our silent auction
Don’t want to leave the prize-winning to luck? We have dozens of great packages in our silent auction, where you can bid directly from your smartphone! You can bid on a Chicago Staycation that includes a two-night stay at the Langham Hotel, a food and wine pairing dinner at Piccolo Sogno and tickets to the Matchmaker; a Bulls package that includes four tickets to a game, Bulls’ merchandise and dinner; or try your hand at being a chef for a day at the award-winning and inventive Moto Restaurant. If you can’t attend the event, you can bid online from anywhere using your computer or smartphone.
5. Support the great work HSC is doing
We have developed a comprehensive approach that is creating healthy changes for students in Chicago and across the country. We partner with principals, teachers, school nurses, parents, students and community leaders to make healthy, sustainable changes at the school level and build on that experience to advocate for healthier school policies and practices at the district level and beyond. By coming to Cooking up Change Chicago, you’re supporting this great work.
We hope you can join us!
We couldn’t put on such a great contest every year without the support of our generous sponsors: Presenting sponsor, Aramark; Patron sponsor, Aetna; Hero sponsor, Sammons Financial Group; Champion sponsors School Health Corporation and Whole Foods Market; Official Culinary Partner, James Beard Foundation; Official Travel Partner, Southwest; and National Silver Sponsor,American Federation of Teachers.
