Kentucky Youth rank among the highest in the US for obesity.  In fact, in 2020 only 6% of Carter County youth consumed the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Involving children in food preparation has been proven to successfully increase the consumption of nutritious food in children.  The Carter County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Agents partnered together to offer Super Star Chef.

The three- day program was offered twice in the summer to forty-three youth ages 9-12.  They used the materials from the Kentucky Nutrition Education curriculum. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent taught lessons on hand washing, food safety, measuring, recipe reading, kitchen basics, knife skills, kitchen equipment, and serving sizes.  Participants demonstrated their new skills with supervision.

 The program was evaluated by a pretest and posttest as well as parent testimonials.  Overall, pretest and posttest comparisons of total participant scores show that the program enhanced understanding of the concepts taught by the program.  One hundred percent of participants showed improvement on the post-tests.  The results of the post-test included

• 79% reported that they planned to eat more fruits
• 74% reported they planned to try new foods
• 94% were able to identify foods classified as proteins
• 84% learned how to correctly hold a knife
• 95% were able to identify the healthiest food label
• 100% identified the four steps of food safety, the amount of time a kid should be physically active, the safe position for the handle of a pot when cooking, how to tell if meat is fully cooked, and the best ways to clean fruits and vegetables

 The participants earned Anthem Kids Bucks at the program to use at the Farmers Market. Many came to the Farmers Market. They selected their own local ingredients to prepare meals at home. Seventy dollars were from these bucks to support local farmers. Fifty-four percent of the Kids Bucks were redeemed at the market this season.

Parents reported that their child is more involved with food preparation and consumes more of a variety of healthy foods.  They have seen an increase in self-confidence, and they feel more comfortable making their own snacks because of this program. 

 “My daughter loves sharing her new cooking skills!  She came home and made the apple crisp all by herself.

“Evan now makes the potato recipe and couldn’t wait to cook for his friends.  They were so impressed that he now knows how to cook! He helps with dinner weekly and we have added all the recipes into our meal plan.”

“My son now has the confidence to use a knife.  He helps daily with food preparation and keeps practicing his knife skills.

“Parker made tomato pasta for dinner, using his goodies her purchased from the Farmers Market!”

“Claire asked me to take her shopping to the grocery store and the Farmers market. She took a shopping list and got all the ingredients to make the recipes at home.  She’s been such a help in the kitchen!”

The Carter County Extension Service has continued to receive requests for similar programs and are making plans for a “Cooking Club “in the future.