Kids show cooking skills at Food Show

Shaquela Still describes her favorite part of making her egg custard dessert to judges Libby Watson and Laura Watson. Photo by Sara Drake, Cooperative Extension.

Micah Furr slices her pot roast while her mom, Ann, watches. Photo by Sarar Drake, Cooperative Extension.

The third annual 4-H Food Show was held Oct. 24. The 4-H Food Show provides youth with the opportunity to learn about nutrition and exhibiting food.

Youth could enter one of four food categories: snack, dessert, main dish or salad/soup/appetizer. Participants arrived at the competition with their entry prepared, their recipe and a table setting. They then exhibited the item, served the judges a sample and answered nutrition questions about their entry.

The judges for the event were Libby Watson and Laura Watson. Fifteen youth participated in the event.

In the Cloverbud division, ages 5-8, all youth earned a certificate, green ribbon and $5 gift certificate to the 4-H Mall.

Participants in the main dish category were: Treis McElroy and Ian Nettles. Laura Nettles, Shaquela Still and Holly Wallace entered the dessert category.

The Junior Division, ages 9-13, and the Senior Division, ages 14-19, were judged by the Danish system of judging. In the Danish system, each entry is judged for its own merit and compared to a standard rather than the other entries in the class.

All youth earned a certificate, ribbon and $5 gift certificate to the 4-H Mall. An overall winner was selected for each food category. Overall winners received a purple ribbon and a $10 gift certificate to the 4-H Mall.

The junior dessert category had the most competition, with Hannah Barringer earning the overall junior dessert award.

Others in the junior dessert category were Lindsey Cox, blue ribbon; Faith Wiltsie, blue ribbon; Krystal Diehl, red ribbon; and Katelyn Smith, red ribbon.

Micah Furr won the overall junior main dish award.

In the Salad/Soup/Appetizer category, Savanah Hipp earned the overall junior award and Michaela Patterson won a blue ribbon.

In the senior level competitions, Alex Hipp won the dessert competition and Carol Nettles took honors in the main dish category.

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Sara Drake, 4-H Extension Agent at North Carolina Cooperative Extension at the Rowan County Center on Old Concord Road in Salisbury. Contact Sara via e-mail at sara_drake@ncsu.edu or by phone at 704-216-8970.