Celebrity Chef Jet Tila and Chartwells School Dining Services Announce "What's Your Hometown Specialty" Contest Winners

RYE BROOK, N.Y., March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chartwells School Dining Services, in partnership with celebrity chef, Jet Tila, today announced the winners of the "What's Your Hometown Specialty" video contest that was implemented in school cafeteria's across the nation at the start of the 2013-'14 school year.  Tori Mason and Kierra Clark at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana; Gabriela Martinez at Union City High School in Union City, New Jersey; John Silvia at Bridgewater Middle School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and Bria Pascua at Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida, will each receive a special visit from Chef Tila in March and April where they will demonstrate the winning recipes and videos to their peers, live from the school cafeteria's. 

The Chartwells School Dining Services' "What's Your Hometown Specialty" video contest was part of a company-wide culinary program called Simply Good that promotes healthier meal options and educates students about the nutritional benefits of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.  For this contest, Chartwells partnered with Chef Tila to encourage students to pick their favorite hometown or region-specific recipe and create a five-minute cooking show that demonstrated the nutritional ingredients and the preparation process.

"This video and recipe contest put a fun twist on nutrition education," said Jennifer Brower, Regional Executive Chef for Chartwells School Dining Services. "Many younger students don't have a basic understanding of where food comes from. Once they are inspired to step into the kitchen and cook a meal from start to finish, they discover that some of their favorite foods actually come from healthy fruits and vegetables. The incentive to meet and work with Chef Tila was another great way to get the students involved and gave us the opportunity to put nutrition education in their own hands."

The four student winners chose and prepared the following recipes.

• Tori Mason, age 17, and her co-host, Kierra Clark, from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana chose to demonstrate a family favorite in their video – a Blackberry Glazed Chicken with Steamed Vegetables and Roasted Red Potatoes recipe.  In addition to this recipe being full of healthy flavors and fresh vegetables, it is a cost effective dinnertime option, costing twenty dollars for a family of four.  You can view the video here.
• Gabriela Martinez, a 10^th grader at Union City High School in Union City, New Jersey prepared an Omelet de Union City hometown recipe since New Jersey is known for its diverse cultures; most specifically, Union City's grand Hispanic population.  The total prep and cook time for this flavorful dish with salchichon and queso de papa can be prepped and cooked in less than twenty minutes.  You can view her video here.  
• John Silvia, age 13, from Bridgewater Middle School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts demonstrated his favorite breakfast recipe – JJ's Fruit Salad Minis, a mix of delicious fresh fruits including apples, bananas, strawberries, walnuts, and raisins and drizzled with a maple syrup dressing.  You can view his video here.
• Bria Pascua, age 16, (and other students) at Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida demonstrated a Mayport Orange Glazed Shrimp and Sauteed Vegetables recipe, with all ingredients sourced fresh from Florida.  You can view this video here.

"I have always looked at food as a form of art and I was excited to support an effort that allowed students to express themselves through food, while also teaching them about the fundamentals of putting together a healthy meal.  I think many of the students realized that nutritious meals can also be delicious," said Chef Tila.  "I look forward to meeting the winners and helping them demonstrate their recipes to the entire school."

Chef Jet Tila has appeared on several cooking programs including Iron Chef, Chopped and The Food Network. He is currently working with Chartwells' parent company, The Compass Group, to open Modern Asian Kitchen, a fast-casual Pan-Asian concept in school cafe locations nationwide. 

About Chartwells School Dining Services
Chartwells, a division of Charlotte, NC-based Compass Group, provides dining services for over 575 public school districts and private schools, comprising of approximately 4,000 separate elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.  For more information about Chartwells School Dining Services, visit www.eatlearnlive.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

SOURCE Chartwells School Dining Services