Super Star Chef Success Story 2024 

According to the 2022 data from the State of Obesity website, the obesity rate for children ages 10-17 in Kentucky is 24%, higher than the national average of 17%. This places Kentucky among the seven highest states for childhood obesity rates in this age group. Obesity is prevalent in Casey County. However, recent research has shown that teaching children cooking skills and how to make healthy snacks can encourage healthier choices and lower obesity rates. In a collective effort to address this problem, the Casey County Cooperative Extension Service hosted a three-day cooking camp called Superstar Chef. The cooking camp, designed for ages 9-12 years old, aimed to teach the children kitchen safety, food safety, nutrition concepts, and physical activity. The children also had the opportunity to practice food preparation skills under supervision. 

Overall, the pre-test and post-test participant evaluations showed that the program enhanced the understanding of the concepts taught by the program. In addition, 95% of participating children agreed or strongly agreed that they had learned to identify healthy foods, and 70% gained more knowledge of safe food handling practices. 70% of the children improved their physical activity practices, and 95% of the participants improved in one or more core areas. Also, participants' cooking self-efficacy increased from the pre-test to the post-test. Several parents commented on how much the children liked coming to the camp and reported that they had made some recipes at home for their families. Several students had returned this year from the previous year of Superstar camp because they said: "it was so much fun, and they had learned so much about the kitchen and making healthy food." This camp has been an excellent addition to our community. Casey County Cooperative Extension Service plans to extend this camp into other seasons with new skills and recipes.