Since 2012, the Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge has provided students in the DMV with an authentic work-based learning experience mirroring the responsibilities of school nutrition professionals who are tasked with creating delicious, healthy school meals that represent the diverse culinary voices in our school communities within a set budget. It is the only professional culinary competition open to both middle and high school students, and the only competition where students have an opportunity to see their recipe adapted and served in school cafeterias as well as considered for adaptation by the restaurant industry.
For more than a decade, the Culinary Challenge has engaged and supported students taking Family and Consumer Sciences electives, including professional-level Culinary Arts and Hotel and Restaurant Management. The program is also open to students participating in culinary enrichment programs such as extra-curricular culinary programs focused on nutrition literacy and skills development. The Culinary Challenge fosters innovation in school meals, specifically advancing plant-based cuisine, and provides a co-curricular, project-based learning platform for instructors.