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T he Maine Department of Farm-to-School Cook Off. The annual competition invites school foodservice teams from around the state to go head-to-head to create K-12-friendly menu items that incorporate local ingredients. Education (DOE) has crowned the winner of this year’s DOE This year, participants in the final round held at Bangor High School had to create a breakfast dish and a lunch dish using local blueberries and local beef. The dishes were judged based on taste and flavor, creative use of the local ingredients and more. Chef Manager Hannah Liberty and Staff Member Brenda White from RSU 22 were declared the winners. They prepared a yogurt-and-fruit parfait for their breakfast dish and a beef burrito with a side salad for their lunch dish. “Child nutrition is so important to me,” RSU 22 Chef Manager Hannah Liberty said in a statement. “Growing up in a rural community in Maine, we are trying to do our best with what we are given and making sure that we’re giving our kids the best possible food, with the best
Maine DOE Farm-to- School Cook-Off showcases local blueberries and beef in school meals
possible ingredients, that we possibly can.” Liberty and White received a plaque and certificate in honor of their win, and each of the event’s participants were given a cookbook with the recipes used in the competition. The recipes will also be available online for other school nutrition teams to use. This is the 11th year the state’s Department of Education has hosted the competition. The state has placed an emphasis on local foods in schools for years. School nutrition teams in the state who use local ingredients on their menus are eligible for state reimbursement through the state’s Local Foods Fund. School nutrition programs in the state have been reimbursed just under $385,000 in local foods purchases since the program began in 2021, according to Maine DOE. “We aim to highlight the incredible innovation happening in Maine schools through the Farm-to-School Cook- Off,” said Stephanie Stambach, Maine DOE child nutrition supervisor, in a statement. “What you see here is just a glimpse of the creativity, dedication, and strong local partnerships that are transforming school meals across the state.”
BY BENITA GINGERELLA
RSU 22 Chef Manager Hannah Liberty and Staff Member Brenda White were crowned the winners of this year’s Farm-to-School Cook-Off. Their winning dishes were a yogurt parfait and beef burrito prepared using local ingredients.
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