LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Eleven high school teams from across the state are competing head-to-head to win the 2022 Kentucky State Fair Junior Chef Competition.
With 90 minutes on the clock, two teams fight to make it to the next round.
“We are making white chili, which is our spin on white chicken chili,” says Harlan County junior chef Victoria Adams.
This year’s competition is Adam’s third time competing in the competition organized by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
This year she is hoping to take the big trophy back to Harlan County.
“Every time you go to compete you remember why you’re there,” says Adams. “I used to cook with my grandmother before she passed away and it’s kind of in remembrance of her type of thing. She is one of the reasons I am here.”
Tina Garland, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Foods Division administrative branch manager, says the winning meal will have to impress the judges with its taste, appearance, creativity and best and most use of local ingredients.
“We want our kids to know the importance of buying local and how it supports communities, and nutrition. They are our next generation of consumers and we want to teach them the value of fresh healthy local products,” says Garland.
Students started recipe development in March. They had to include at least five local ingredients.
“It is so important to support local Kentucky agriculture, especially within our own community of Harlan. We are a small town in eastern Kentucky and sometimes we tend to be overlooked, and it is so important that others are able to see hopefully through our competition what Harlan County can offer,” says Adams.
The winning recipe must also be school menu friendly as they may use it in school lunch programs.
“As someone who has had to suffer through school lunches for the past four years well pretty much my entire life, it is so important that we have good tasting Kentucky proud food that we’re able to influence people into cooking by offering good tasting home-grown food,” says Adams.
Members of winning teams will receive a scholarship from Sullivan University. They will award first place $10,000, $6,000 for second place, and $3,000 for third place.
“Sullivan is such an esteemed college for the culinary arts and stuff I’m prided that I’m able to stand here and hopefully compete for a scholarship,” says Adams.
Adams has already racked up thousands of dollars in scholarship money from placing second and third in the past two year’s competitions.
She plans to use that money to study business and hospitality.
“Hopefully one day I want to own my own restaurant and be able to pursue cooking my whole life,” says Adams.
She says it will be in the loving memory of her grandmother.
The Harlan County advanced to the next round. The final two teams will compete head to head on Friday on the Farm to Fair Stage.
Sullivan University has provided millions of dollars in scholarships through the competition.