Casey County, though located in South Central Kentucky, is considered an Eastern Kentucky county due to its limited knowledge/access of healthy resources including fresh and/healthy food options. According to the Kentucky Kids Count, 64% of our children live in low-income households; ranking Casey County 100 out of 120 counties in the state. Out limited resources can create an obstacle for families to make smart and healthy decisions when feeding their family. As of 2018, 24% of children are living in food insecure households ranking Casey County 86 out of 120 counties (according to Kentucky Kids Count). By providing this educational program, youth were provided with resources to prepare healthy foods/meals to aid in making healthier lifestyle choices in regards to their food intake. 

Super Star Chef is a three-day hands-on cooking and nutrition Cooperative Extension program originally created by Dr. Sandra Bastin. The program was designed to empower limited-resource youths with basic cooking skills so they can make the healthy choice the easy choice. Program content primarily focuses on hands-on food preparation skills, kitchen safety and appliance use, food safety procedures, nutrition education, and physical activity.

Twenty youth attended the three-day program learning kitchen and food safety including (but not limited to): properly measuring dry and wet ingredients, reading and following a recipe, safe knife skills, and safely using kitchen appliances. Three students participated for the second year due to their interest in cooking. Plans are in the works to provide a continuation of the program making breads and visiting the farmers market.