In a ceremony filled with emotion, the five winners of the second edition of the Best School Feeding Recipes contest were announced. With the purpose of valuing the role of the school cooks in the food education and in the nutrition of children and adolescents, the contest chose the best recipe of each of the five Brazilian regions.
Fifteen school cooks, three from each region of the country, participated in the final competition. They were selected from more than 2,000 registrations, after passing through municipal, state and regional stages of evaluation of the proposed recipe and food and nutritional education activities developed in their schools. The preparations presented in the final phase of the contest combined flavor and nutrition and reflected regional eating habits. The chef-style dishes conquered the hearts and minds of contest jurors.
Awards
During the awards ceremony, the president of the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE), Silvio Pinheiro, said: \”We are very happy to be able to gather the representation of the best we have in food for our students, all over the Brazilian territory. These school cooks are extremely important professionals, because they manage to translate the rules and laws that the Federal Government establishes, into very tasty meals, like the ones we have seen here. The role of the school cook is undoubtedly essential for the success of public education policies.\”
\”Thanks to the food that the cooks prepare with care and dedication, students are able learn what their professors teach,\” said Daniel Balaban, director of the Centre of Excellence against Hunger. \”Brazil is one of the largest food producers in the world, so we can and must serve real, tasty food to our students. School feeding is not only about feeding, it is also about education, health, care and love,\” he added.
Representing the 15 finalist school cooks, Daniela Felizardo stressed that the working conditions of the school cooks are not always ideal. \”Sometimes we do not have the needed structure to work, but our dedication overcomes everything,\” he said.
Selection
The final test to choose the top five school feeding recipes happened on Wednesday, 25, and was a show of creativity and skill. The jurors were presented with 15 dishes that refer to the food traditions of all regions of Brazil. The five winners were chosen out of those 15. The jury was comprised of Marcelo Petrarca, Brazilian chef; Mariana Rocha, representative of the Centre of Excellence against Hunger; Lorena Medeiros, from the Regional Nutrition Council in Brasilia; Alda Oliveira, president of the School Feeding Council of the State of Roraima; and Sofia Marinho, a sixth year student in Brasilia.
The first-ranked school cooks received a prize of US$ 2,000, in addition to an international trip. The second-placed cooks received US$ 1,000, and the third placed cooks received US$ 350. All of them participated in courses to improve their techniques and won cooking kits.
The Best School Feeding Recipes contest was conducted by the Brazilian National Fund for the Development of Education in partnership with the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger, FAO, and local partners.
