August 15, 2008
Classes Can Win Cooking Demonstration With 'Xtreme Cuisine' Chef
Florida teachers and other youth activity coordinators with students aged 10-15 can enter to win a cooking session to learn “Xtreme Cuisine” techniques for preparing healthy, kid-friendly recipes.
For the past three years, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has introduced youths around the state to the world of cooking and good nutrition through its “Xtreme Cuisine” program. Cooking schools for middle-school students have been held in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, Pinellas Park, Ocala and Naples.
Using the “Xtreme Cuisine” curriculum, students learn to prepare whole-wheat pizzas, fruit parfaits and other nutritious and tasty treats. They also learn how Florida fruit and vegetables used in these recipes provide vitamins and minerals that can help prevent heart disease and other obesity-related illnesses. In addition, students learn the dangers caused by excessive amounts of salt, sugar and fats in their diet, and how fiber could eliminate their desire for high-calorie, low-nutrition snack foods. They also learn how many calories are needed for their age and gender, the vitamin and mineral content of many Florida fruit and vegetables, and how to read a food nutrition label.
“Many children often prepare their own after-school snacks when they come home each afternoon,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said. “We want to help them change their snacking habits. Instead of automatically reaching for junk foods, we want them to explore healthy alternatives by using fresh Florida fruit and vegetables as ingredients for fun and delicious snacks.”
In the new “Xtreme Cuisine Chef Demo Contest,” teachers who conduct their own cooking class locally and document the event can enter to win a complimentary session with the Department’s “Xtreme Cuisine” Chef during which their students will learn advanced cooking techniques and prepare recipes. All food and promotional items will be supplied for the winning classes of up to 75 students.
To enter, teachers must set up and conduct an “Xtreme Cuisine” class with at least 10 students in which the students prepare at least two “Xtreme Cuisine” recipes using at least six total fresh Florida fruit and vegetables. The classes must use the existing curriculum, which can be ordered online at www.Florida-Agriculture.com/education/xtreme.htm, and must be held between September 15 and December 15, 2008. At the completion of the classes, teachers must fill out the “Xtreme Cuisine Chef Demo Contest Entry” and submit it with the required accompanying documents and photographs, specifying the categories they are entering.
A winning class will be selected in the following categories:
1. First -- The first completed entry to be postmarked with accompanying documents
will win.
2. Great -- The coordinator with the greatest number of participating students will win.
3. Smart -- The class that demonstrates the most impressive knowledge gained from the
local class will win. Student essays, photos, quotes, drawings, and other descriptions
are encouraged.
Classes can be organized by public and private school teachers, agriscience teachers, school food and nutrition managers, and youth activity coordinators with County Cooperative Extension Offices, FFA chapters, Florida Farm Bureau groups, and other related areas.
Entries must be postmarked on or before December 20, 2008. The winner will be notified on or before January 15, 2009, and the “Xtreme Cuisine Chef Cooking Demo” will be held prior to May 31, 2009.
“The nutritional information provided at the ‘Xtreme Cuisine’ events helps students make healthy eating choices as they become adults,” Bronson said. “Learning the importance of good nutrition at a young age is the key to a healthy future.”
For more information contact:
Arlette Roberge, Xtreme Cuisine
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
407 S. Calhoun St., Rm. 429A
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800
Telephone: (850) 922-9828
Email: roberga@doacs.state.fl.us
