Our students are changing school lunch menus.
And this is the only event where you can see how they do it!

Since 2012, the Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge has provided students the unique experience of mirroring the responsibilities of school nutrition professionals by creating delicious, healthy school meals that represent the diverse culinary traditions in our school communities. All while staying within the defined nutrition parameters and cost thresholds of the federally funded National School Meal Program.

It is the only professional culinary competition open to both middle and high school students, and the only competition where students have an opportunity to see their recipe adapted and served on school lunch lines around the Greater Metropolitan Region.

The “challenge” at the heart of this competition is the same one faced by school food professionals every day: to craft healthy and delicious menu items that meet USDA guidelines and adhere to strict per-meal budgets.

14th Annual Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Hayfield Secondary School | 7630 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA 22315

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

The 2026 Culinary Challenge team lineup includes the following schools:

LUNCH CATEGORY

Academies of Loudoun, Loudoun County Public Schools

C.D. Hylton High School, Prince William County Public Schools

Friendly High School, Prince George’s County Public Schools

Gainesville High School, Prince William County Public Schools

Lightridge High School, Loudoun County Public Schools

Luther Jackson Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools

Potomac Middle School, Prince William County Public Schools

Shady Grove Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools

BREAKFAST CATEGORY

Freedom High School, Prince William County Public Schools

SNACK CATEGORY

Freedom High School, Prince William County Public Schools

Lightridge High School, Loudoun County Public Schools

Gainesville High School, Prince William County

Oxon Hill High School, Prince George’s County Public Schools

Potomac Middle School, Prince William County Public Schools

Shady Grove Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools

EVENT CHAIR

Chef Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit

CULINARY MENTOR

Ype Von Hengst, Silver Diner

CELEBRITY CHEF COOKING DEMONSTRATION

Isabel Coss

EXECUTIVE CHEF, PASCUAL AND EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF, LUTECE

Chef Isabel Coss, a Mexico City native, is The Popal Group’s Executive Chef of Pascual and Executive Pastry Chef of Lutèce in Washington, DC. She is one of FOOD & WINE’s Best New Chefs in America (2023), a 2025 James Beard “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” semifinalist, and one of the “100 Latino Leaders in the U.S.” Originally trained as a ballerina, Coss began baking at 17 at Pujol and went on to leadership in top kitchens across the country including Cosme, Empellón, and Agern.

At Pascual, a Mexican hearth-focused restaurant co-founded with her spouse, Chef Matt Conroy, and The Popal Group, Coss draws inspiration from her Mexican roots. The restaurant has earned accolades from The New York Times, Eater, and The Washington Post as one of the top new restaurants in America (2024). At Lutèce, her pastry work has helped earn national acclaim from The New York Times and RESY.