Budding Young Chefs Create Healthy Recipes at Seymour Middle School

Seymour Middle School's Chefs left to right:  Arlinda Peraj, Seymour’s winning Chef with her Healthy Cinnamon Apple Waffles; Destiny Opotzner created the Egg White and More Omelet; Victoria Caiza and her Ezekiel Bread French Toast; Gina DeBlasi made Zucchini Eggs; Michaela Roach made an Omelet in a Bag. Student Jonathan Forte – not in photo, out sick, submitted Jonathan’s Smoothie.

 

SEYMOUR = Students at Seymour Middle School recently cooked up a storm for a chance to compete in a Valley-wide healthy cooking challenge. 

 

As a way to promote healthy eating habits among teens and tweens, the school district's Director of Nutrition Services, Cindy Brooks, recently staged the school's annual "Healthy Recipe Challenge."

 

Six student chefs were chosen to compete in the final round, with the middle school's winning chef, Arlinda Peraj, taking home bragging rights with her Healthy Cinnamon Apple Waffles. 

 

Brooks said her role, along with the School Nutrition Association of Connecticut and Valley Initiative to Advance Health and Learning in Schools, or VITAHLS, is to get kids thinking about healthy eating habits at a young age.

The young chefs worked with assistance from the cafeteria staff to create their healthy dishes.

 

Arlinda now moves on to compete with other Valley students in the final VITAHLS competition, scheduled for May 17 at Griffin Hospital in Derby.