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Arlington, Va., March 3, 2022 – We’re excited to announce that co-founder and executive chef, Stefano Marzano will be one of the six judges at the 10th Annual Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge being held March 5, 2022, at Hayfield Secondary School, 7630 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA 22315.
Since COVID lockdowns began, MightyMeals has been providing over 12,000 free meals to local, food-insecure students and their families through the Real Food for Kids’ Chefs Feeding Families initiative.
“As a Northern Virginia native, it is so important to me and the rest of the MightyMeals team to give back to our community, said MightyMeals co-founder and executive chef, Stefano Marzano. “When COVID hit, we knew we wanted to find an organization to support with meal donations. Real Food for Kids has been a great partner in distributing donated MightyMeals to the communities that need it most.”
Marzano added, “I am honored to be a part of the 2022 Culinary Challenge as a judge for this year’s competition.” This annual competition tasks local middle high school students to create a school lunch dish that meets USDA guidelines. The winning dish is then featured on schools’ lunch menus in the Greater Washington Region.
Chef Stefano is no stranger to the Culinary Challenge. In 2020, the recipe from one of the winning teams, Carne Asada Tacos with Asian Slaw, was adapted by MightyMeals and sold as a fundraiser benefiting Real Food for Kids’ Chefs Feeding Families. The team from Herndon High School was also invited to help serve meals at a Chefs Feeding Families meal distribution in Arlington alongside Chef Stefano.
In addition to Chef Stefano, the judging panel for this year’s Culinary Challenge includes Kevin Tien, executive chef at Moon Rabbit, three-time James Beard nominee and co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate; David Hagedorn, restaurant critic for Arlington and Bethesda Magazines, and cookbook author; Shelby McCrone, co-executive chef at Junction Bakery & Bistro and winner of Food Network’s 2021 Battle of the (Voltaggio) Brothers; Shane Logan, Virginia Department of Education, Office of School Nutrition Programs (VDOE-SNP) Culinary Specialist; and Dahlia Badt, student, Takoma Park Middle School, Montgomery County. Winner of 2021 Culinary Challenge.
This year’s event will also include the opportunity for the public to taste and judge the dishes, an informative panel discussion with Barbara Harral, Food & Nutrition Services Director at Montgomery County Public Schools; this year’s emcee Ellie Krieger, James Beard Award Winner, Nutritionist and Dietician, cookbook author, host of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger on Food Network; and Ype Von Hengst, co-founder and executive chef with Silver Diner restaurant group. The panel will be moderated by Bonnie Benwick, former deputy editor of the food section at the Washington Post. Attendees will also be able to sample food from MightyMeals and other exhibitors.
For more information on the 10th Annual Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge please visit https://www.realfoodforkids.org/culinarychallenge.
For more information on MightyMeals, please visit https://www.eatmightymeals.com.
About MightyMeals
Founded in 2015 by two fitness professionals and a classically trained chef, MightyMeals believes high-quality, healthy food should be accessible to everyone. The Burke, Virginia company provides a convenient, healthy meal delivery service made with locally sourced ingredients by chefs, offering a wide array of meals on a menu that changes weekly. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier lives by being the leading provider of healthy, high-quality, locally sourced, chef-prepared meals that are delivered to you. Take the guesswork out of your nutrition so you can spend your time doing the things you enjoy. For more information, visit www.eatmightymeals.com and follow MightyMeals at @eatmightymeals for updates.
About Real Food for Kids
Real Food for Kids improves health outcomes for children and families through innovative, collaborative programs in which the communities we serve play a pivotal role in creating change. Since 2010, Real Food for Kids has advocated for and won positive changes to school food policies and generated institutionalized support for our goal of healthy school food as a critical component of children’s wellness and academic success. For more information, please visit http://www.realfoodforkids.org.
