North Carolina Jr. Chef Competition

The North Carolina Junior Chef Competition (NCJCC) was created to inspire the next generation of culinary professionals, stimulate interest in locally produced agriculture, increase participation in School Nutrition Programs, and encourage healthy eating habits.  The competition seeks student created and approved recipes for school meals. Additionally, this competition will recognize students for their ability to work as members of a team to demonstrate valuable skills in recipe development, food preparation, marketing, public presentation, organization, and local food systems.

Details and logistics for the N.C. Jr. Chef Competition are below.

For questions about the North Carolina Junior Chef Competition, contact Tracey Bates, School Nutrition Specialist at tracey.bates@dpi.nc.gov

Contest Details & Logistics

Tab/Accordion Items

Recipe Contest

How to participate in the competition?  Who is eligible? Teams of 2-4 high school students (grades 9-12) currently enrolled in a North Carolina public school that participates in the National School Lunch Program can participate.

North Carolina Junior Chef Competition Guidelines (PDF)

Student teams must develop a recipe for a school lunch entrée (that meets the guidelines) to submit for the NCJCC recipe contest. 

Student teams are encouraged to work with their Adult Team Supervisor which is a North Carolina public school educator (i.e., Ag, Family and Consumer Sciences, Math, or Science teacher) or School Nutrition administrator and local School Nutrition Programs to develop creative entrée recipes for school lunch that:

meet the National School Lunch Program meal pattern and nutrition standards
include at least one (1) USDA Foods item and two (2) North Carolina grown products
and are replicable by School Nutrition professionals.

Recipe Cook-Off

During the NCJCC cook-off, finalist teams must prepare, cook and plate their recipe and present two (2) plates of their prepared recipe to evaluators.