Success StoryMentoring Champions in Nutrition



Mentoring Champions in Nutrition

Author: Charles Comer

Planning Unit: Montgomery County CES

Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum

Plan of Work: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

Montgomery County 4-H Culinary/Junior Chef team is a state champion again in two different cooking contests in August 2019: State 4-H Culinary Contest and the Kentucky State Fair/Department of Agriculture Farm-to-School Junior Chef Contest. From a 4-H volunteer leader’s perspective as the mentor or coach who has provided guidance to teams of 3-5 teen members each year since 2013, it is a journey with each team she enjoys. Recently, she took time to reflect about the members of this year’s team as the team prepared to compete in the National 4-H Food Challenge in Dallas, Texas.  She writes: “…as the day of our competition draws near, and I iron out a few travel wrinkles from the team members’ chef coats, I can't help but reminisce on how far these 4 teenagers have come in such a very short time! From the point of not truly knowing how to cook (November 2018) to the present day (September 2019) being able to create a very healthy spur-of-the-moment dish…and be able to describe all the healthiness of that dish, winning 2 state championships and now at the national competition in Dallas Texas…! They have been very challenging at times, very funny and fun-loving most of the time.  They have made me very proud as their coach. Whatever the outcome of this very difficult competition they call The National 4-H Food Challenge, I am very proud of them.”  Each team each year comes a long way because of a volunteer leader who quietly teaches them the skills of food-nutrition.






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