Super Star Chef 

In Kentucky, 20.8% of youth ages 10 to 17 have obesity, giving Kentucky a ranking of 3 out of 51 for this age group among all states and the District of Columbia, according to the State of Childhood Obesity report. In 2013, 2219 Trimble County residents were considered obese, representing 34% of the county’s population, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  In addition, a growing number of families eat “on the run” instead of cooking at home. As a result, many children don’t receive the needed basic cooking skills and do not consume the USDA recommended fruits and vegetables each day. To help aid in the prevention of childhood obesity, improved diets, and to encourage healthy cooking within the youth population, the Trimble County Family and Consumer Sciences program partnered with the University of Kentucky Dietetics and Human Nutrition program and offered the Super Star Chef day camp. 

For three days, youth from the ages of 9 to 12 were taught basic cooking skills such as food and kitchen safety, safe food handling knife skills, basic nutrition, and how to prepare a healthy meal. In total, the 14 youth who participated were more willing to try new fruits and vegetables and couldn't wait to prepare meals at home. Students and their parents reported that the children demonstrated their skills at home that they learned in the class.

A pre-test and post-test was administered to the students during the program.  As a direct result of the program:

91% are confident that they can make a meal with fruits and vegetables

92% demonstrated knife skills 

90% demonstrated how to read a recipe and measure ingredients

After participating in the Super Star Chef program, all of the respondents (100%) reported that they can identify healthy foods, and that they plan to try new foods. Also, about 86% of the respondents reported that they plan to drink more water every day, be more physically active, and eat more fruits.