Kids Cook Competing for Cash Prizes
MANITOUWADGE, ON – April 10th, the Manitouwadge Family Health Team’s Registered Dietician, Kiera MacKenzie, hosted a kids’ cooking competition at the Manitouwadge High School. Competitors, ages 10-14 years old, could enter individually, or in teams of 2 or 3 chefs. The young chefs, five individuals and one pair, were responsible for bringing their own ingredients and tasked with independently preparing and cooking a food item or meal of their choice (and cleaning their kitchen afterwards) within 90 minutes.
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019
Senior Transportation Engineer Ulf Stahmer, Relationship Manager Normand Sandberg, and Social Research Associate Tim Weber from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) which sponsored the event attended as judges. The dishes were scored based on creativity, presentation, taste, nutrition, food safety, nutritional content and recipe format. The judges observed while the food was being prepared, visiting each of the individuals/teams in their kitchens.
“On behalf of my friends, Tim and Ulf, I’d like to say what a great time had. We all do cooking at home, I wish my kids, who are adults, had taken an interest in cooking as early as you have, because you are amazing. You’ve all been great, made a great variety of food and with such creativity!”
Normand Sandberg, NWMO
“Congratulations to everybody for participating! I think it’s great to see you learning about eating healthy food, and how to make it.”
Tim Weber, NWMO
The highlight of the competition was when each of the competitors presented their plated masterpieces to the trio of epicures who queried the gastronomes regarding the origins of their recipes, their experience in the kitchen, adaptations made to the recipes, ect. The judges pointed out several times the challenge of comparing uniquely delicious dishes which had all been successfully realized.
Left: Chocolate Strawberry Dessert; Center: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread. Photos OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019 
“You all did a great job, all the recipes were phenomenal and I was so excited to see all of you cooking!”
said Kierra MacKenzie, RD, to the young chefs.
After all the entries had been tasted, Kierra tallied up the scores from the judges. The inclusion of participation gifts, not mentioned in the promotion of the contest, was a nice surprise for the competitors who each received a nylon sports tote and Rubic’s cube from the NWMO.
The event was wrapped up with Kierra presenting cash prizes, also provided by the NWMO, to the culinary connaisseurs who received the top 3 scores from the judges:
1st place ($75): Emeraude & Alyssa (who made Spaghettini with garlic bread as well as semi-sweet & white chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert) accept their prize from MFHT Registered Dietician Kiera MacKenzie. Photo OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019
3rd place ($25): Hailey (who made Banana Muffins) accepts her prize. Photo OntarioNewsNorth.com 2019
Kierra offered a final thank you to the participants, the judges, and the NWMO, for its sponsorship of the event. She also told the kids about a competition she’s organizing for their age group (10-14 year olds) in May, piquing the kids’ interest when she shared that it would be an outdoor cooking contest. OntarioNewsNorth.com will share details of the contest as they are released.
Congratulations to the winning teams and all those who participated!
