~~According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has the fifth highest rate of obesity in the nation. Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese. To address this in Wolfe County, Kentucky the Nutrition Education Program Assistant at the Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service began a six week program for adolescent’s ages 8-12 called Junior Chefs Academy using the Teen Cuisine curriculum. The program was designed to help adolescents choose nutrient dense foods and snacks, read food labels to choose healthier foods and snacks, understand My Plate and how to incorporate it into meal planning, to read and follow a recipe, to identify proper portion sizes, and to use safe food handling practices. The program enrolled 18 youth participants and at the end of the six weeks 14 of the 18 attended the graduation ceremony where they received a certificate of accomplishment. Parents have seen changes in the foods and snacks that their children are choosing. “My child is cutting up fruits and vegetables and placing them in Ziploc bags for after school snacks for the week, it’s wonderful.” One child was excited that she could make scrambled eggs for breakfast for her and her family. “I have used up three dozen eggs in the last two weeks making my family breakfast. I love learning how to choose foods that are good for me.”