Madison High School Culinary Arts students went bananas as part of Amazon’s nationwide Rise & Smile Campaign. Amazon, along with their partners Share Our Strength and Cooking Matters, visited Madison on Wednesday, Oct. 24. As students entered the oversized kitchen they knew only a few things - they would be divided into three teams, handed a mystery box of healthy breakfast items and given one hour to prepare hot and cold breakfast dishes.
“We are trying to emphasize to kids how important it is to eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast, whether you are eating that at school or at home,” said Cooking Matters Program Manager Ellen Damaschino. “The ingredients selected for today’s challenge can be used in a variety of ways, are low cost and you can use things quickly.”
As the students took to their chef tables they learned the main ingredient they had to work with was bananas. The banana symbolizes the importance of a nutritious breakfast and having healthy eating habits.
The high school chefs were quickly assessing their ingredients and determining what they would prepare. At the end of the hour, the kitchen smelled like your favorite local diner. On the tables were French toast, smoothies, omelets, pizza bread, banana crepes and a few more delicious breakfast treats.
“The aha moments that people have as they are moving along is most rewarding,” said Demaschino.
The judges took their time as they assessed the appearance, smell and taste. When it was all said and done the winner was the French toast. The winners received Amazon gift cards along with the satisfaction of knowing they participated in an elite nationwide program.
Posted on 10/24/18
