Top Salad Chef Winners

Top Chef Competition from Shiloh Studio on Vimeo.

The Top Salad Chef Competition was sponsored as a part of a grant awarded to the Institute for Collaboration of Aurora University from the Kane County Health Department.  Christmas came in the form of a win for these two contestants!  Avy Jimenez a seventh grader at Waldo Middle School and D’Shun Payne a seventh grader at Washington Middle School both had a similar experience.  They both became interested in being named “Top Salad Chef” for their respective school district.  This healthy eating contest started with an idea to help students understand the importance of making healthy eating choices stated Karen Harkness with the MyTime after school program with Communities In Schools of Aurora.  The students met with Bob Lisberg, owner of Pockets Restaurants in Aurora, who gave presentations to MyTime students by visiting them in their schools and showing them the importance of healthy eating choices through the use of salads and toppings.  “I am proud to be involved with Aurora University, Communities In School, Kane County Health Department and the Fox Valley Park District as we come together to benefit the healthy eating choices in the lives of students”, stated Lisberg.  

The Top Salad Chef competition is a fun way to get kids involved and to give them positive recognition in school and in the community.  “We have the time to listen and learn, and they have the talent to make something healthy, fresh, and scrumptious”, stated Senator Linda Holmes, one of the judges and a proponent of helping children exceed in school and in life.  “I am very pleased that I was asked to be a judge, this competition is all about students as leaders and collaboration of many organizations to highlight the efforts of students”.

The Top Salad Chef competition started with students in the CIS “MyTime” After School program submitting their idea of a great salad using the five basic ingredients provided by Pockets and then kicking it up a notch by adding their own wild card ingredient  like a fruit, other vegetable, nut, or something crunchy.  This is where the competition gained its strength and where the students voted in a blind voting with salad numbers to choose from, not knowing which class mate made which salad.  The final winning salad recipes were then made into small samples for the students to try and then vote for the finalists.  Each of the finalists were invited to Pocket’s Restaurants so the panel of local dignitaries as judges could taste the salads using the same system of numbered salads with no student names.  The finalists from East Aurora School District # 131 are; Aja Murdock, Shanyce Murdock, and Avy Jimenez.  Each of these students attends Waldo Middle School.  The judges on the panel were Senator Linda Holmes, Dr. Jesse Lang, Dan Barreiro, Clayton Muhammad, and Debbie Smith.  The judges tasted each salad and voted on each salad based on flavor, taste, texture of foods, portion control, presentation and appearance, and originality/creativity.  Avy named his salad “Avy’s Colorful Mix” and included blueberries and mandarin oranges as his wildcard ingredients.  Avy won the competition for the East Aurora School District 131.

The finalists from West Aurora School District #129 met at the Orchard Road Pockets restaurant.  They are; Nina Reynolds of Jefferson Middle School, D’Shun Payne of Washington Middle School, Valeria Garay and team mate Abosede Kalejaye of Jewel Middle School, and Amber Bagliere and team mate Mataia Hill of Herget Middle School.  The judges on the panel were Senator Linda Holmes, Dr. Sherry Eagle, Mike Chapin, Dan Barreiro, and Debbie Smith.  D’Shun named his salad “Double D” and he included jalapeños and Cheezits as his wildcard ingredients.  D’ Shun won the competition for West Aurora School District 129.  

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You can learn more about how to help your children and grandchildren make healthy life style choices by logging onto the Making Kane County Fit For Kids web site at www.makingkanefitforkids.org.

Communities In Schools is a registered nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization located in the Fred Rogers Community Center, Aurora and partners with East Aurora School District 131, West Aurora School District 129, Indian Prairie School District 204 and Oswego School District 308 to deliver daytime and afterschool programs to children.  It is the mission of Communities In Schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.  You can find us at www.cisaurora.org to learn more about how you can support local school children.

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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Theresa Shoemaker, Executive Director, please call Paul Klinger at (630) 256-4504 or email Paul at pklinger@cisaurora.org