Future Chefs Rethinking School Food

We trudged out in the snow and cold Saturday morning to kick off Future Chefs Career Exploration Day. This is a really fun and important event I've been lucky enough to attend for the past several years. It's a chance for High School students to meet and talk with professionals in the culinary field and ask questions about their career paths and experiences and seek advice. Featured speakers were Matthew Barros, Executive Chef at Market, Alex Emmott of Boston Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Barry Joyner of The Salty Pig, Bryce MacKnight, Chef at Brick and Mortar, Tara Lightbody, Chef at Belmont Day School and Steve Postal, Executive Chef at Fenway Park.

Students had the chance to meet with all the participants in small discussion groups then moved on to a friendly competition for healthy option school lunch menus. We thought this was a really cool, and important, theme as the one group often left out of decisions on healthier school lunches are the students themselves! We only regret we couldn't spend the whole day at the event due to other commitments. And the winners were:
Best Overall Lunch: Quincy High School (Asian Chicken Slaw, Veggie Deluxe Pizza, Pineapple Gelato)
Best Individual Dish: Everett’s Pesto Chicken Salad
Best Verbal Presentation: Somerville High School
Leadership Award: Xristos Vardakostas, Quincy High School

Everyone did a great job but the best was yet to come the next day. Check out the very last pic :)









The event I was running off to was the Boston Wine Expo 2012. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled to see our very own Future Chef, Sandro Joseph, showing up and looking good on Center Stage, featured in the closing food demo to a huge round of applause.