The career field of Culinary Arts in Kentucky is one that is rapidly expanding, in part because of the continued growth of tourism within the state. Over the next five years, the career growth outlook is between 25-30%. This is about 18,000 openings each year for the rest of the decade (US Department of Labor). As a result, young people with a passion for the culinary arts can reliably look forward to career stability and advancement within the state. The Culinary Challenge is positioned to prepare young people to enter this career path with meaningful skills and experience. Culinary Challenge is a state-level event that ends a year's worth of work in the kitchen. As the 8th Annual Culinary Challenge wraps up it experienced another record year in attendance. Youth participation increased by 30% and has had a compound growth of 400% in the past five years.

Family and Consumer Science agent, Asa Conkwright III collaborated with the juniors and seniors in the "Advanced Cooking" club to prepare for the upcoming challenge. The kids were taught many basic kitchen practices related to cooking skills, timing, food safety, and nutrition. Kids also worked together to develop skills related to teamwork by developing a comprehensive plan for executing their dish. Of the young people who participated in the State Culinary Challenge, three juniors and three seniors were from Grant County. 

After the event, 95% of young people reported high levels of improvement in knife skills with all young people reporting some level of improvement. Youth also reported a great deal of teamwork and kitchen management skills developed as a result of the program. This high confidence in critical skills is a result of the consistent work with 4-H agents and Volunteers. Youth reported an average of being engaged in 4-H activities for 3 hours a week. These skills have been identified as making a candidate highly qualified for positions in Culinary Arts positions giving the young people who participate in Culinary Challenge programming a head start on career advancement.