Meet Marysville’s top (kid) chefs — and try their recipes

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 28, 2018

MARYSVILLE — Kennedy O’Day had no time to waste.

The fifth grader from Allen Creek Elementary School was busy cooking what she hoped would be the winning “Asian Fusion” meal at Sodexo’s Future Chefs contest March 22 at Marysville Pilchuck High School. She was among 10 finalists from seven schools in the Marysville School District competing in the friendly competition. At stake was a berth at regionals and a shot at the National Future Chef Competition.

Kennedy, 11, sporting a chef’s jacket with “Chef Kennedy” printed on it and a white chef’s hat, had an hour to complete her Asian shrimp omelette. She wasn’t distracted by the dozen or so parents milling around the kitchen watching their children cook and offering words of encouragement. When her own parents came by for a picture, she took the briefest of moments to stop what she was doing and smile.

She chopped onions, stirred sauces, marinated shrimp and fried lightly beaten eggs. She sometimes paused to look at a preparation cheat sheet stowed on the inside of her jacket, much like a quarterback would reading a playbook, so that she could keep moving without having to return to a recipe sheet pinned to the wall.

Kennedy, who said she has cooked since she was 2, was optimistic her omelette would stand out from the rest of her peers, who were mostly cooking lunch and dinner dishes.

“I didn’t think anyone else would do that,” she said. “My aunt kind of gave me the idea, ‘Do something out of the box, like a dessert.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, hey, breakfast.’”

Originality, plate presentation, taste, healthful ingredients and kid appeal were among the criteria eight guest judges considered in their assessments.

Thirty third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students submitted recipes for a chance to participate in the contest. Sodexo, the school district’s food service provider, has been hosting the competition for years, said LaToya Morris, Sodexo’s food and nutrition manager for the district.

Morris said the competition, brand new to the school district, is meant to inspire kids to eat healthfully, think creatively and possibly spark a potential career path.

“Some of them took it very seriously,” she said.

So seriously, in fact, that the young chefs tasted their food regularly and would start over if it wasn’t meeting their expectations.

In addition to Kennedy, the competitors were Cashend Sellars of Marshall Elementary; Jenna Muise and Jaden Nelson of Kellogg Marsh Elementary; Cale Bennett of Liberty Elementary; Jaydan Goetz and Mone’t Clements of Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary; Byainca Kozharko and Joshua Earnheart of Grove Elementary; and Dylan Qureshi of Sunnyside Elementary.

Each student was accompanied by a “co-chef” from the high school’s kitchen staff to help guide their progress. But make no mistake: the kids were in charge.

“The co-chefs kind of took orders from the head chef,” Morris said. “They had to know their role. They assisted if (the kids) were having problems with chopping or preparing.”

Despite it only being his first year cooking, Cashend Sellars sliced and diced onions with speed and precision for his “sweet, sour and spicy” version of Japanese curry.

The 11-year-old had a few reasons for turning out.

“I like knives for one,” Cashend said. “And I like cutting. I’ve always loved food and I love trying new food.”

Byainca Kozharko, a third-grader, made “peek-a-boo” wraps: chicken breast meat, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, sesame seeds and teriyaki sauce wrapped in rice paper, which appeared translucent.

“You can see inside it,” Byainca, 9, said.

Byainca said she has no plans of making cooking a career — she just wanted to have fun and hoped the judges liked her dish.

“I think they’ll like the pineapples,” she said.

Joshua Earnheart, also a third grader, took first place with his chicken cauliflower fried rice. In addition to a gold medal, Joshua won a Future Chef hat, a chef’s jacket, a full pot and pan set and a Fitbit.

Third-grader Cale Bennett finished second with a liberty chow mien chicken salad, while Kennedy finished third; both also won prizes.

Each student also received a certificate, T-shirt and apron for competing.

Evan Thompson: 360-544-2999; ethompson@herald.net.com. Twiter: @evanthompson_1

Joshua Earnheart’s Chicken Cauliflower Fried “Rice”

Judges awarded Joshua’s dish first place at the Future Chefs contest.

1 medium head cauliflower

3 teaspoons canola oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cloves minced garlic

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

3-4 cups cooked chicken breast, diced

Hot sauce (optional)

Grate cauliflower to rice-like consistency.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil. Add eggs and quickly scramble. Transfer eggs to bowl and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil. Add garlic and ginger and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add peas and carrots, scallions and cauliflower, and stir until tender (about 6 minutes).

Add soy sauce, sesame oil and chicken. Cook for about three minutes.

Stir in cooked eggs and serve.

Cale Bennett’s Chow Mein Chicken Salad

Cale’s dish took second place in the contest.

6 cups chopped cabbage

5 ounces chow mein noodles

2 cups shredded carrots

3 cooked chicken breasts

2 cups frozen peas

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 cup Thousand Island dressing

Line salad plates with chopped cabbage topped with chow mein noodles. Top that with carrots, chicken, peas and cucumber.

Drizzle with half of the dressing.

Serve immediately, passing the rest of the dressing.

Kennedy O’Day’s Asian Shrimp Omelet

Kennedy’s breakfast dish was the third-place winner.

1 pound of medium peeled shrimp, tail removed

½ cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

3 teaspoons peanut butter

1 cup guava juice

Juice from 1 orange

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

½ fresh jalapeno pepper, minced

2 teaspoons minced green onion

2 teaspoons honey

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup minced white onion

1 cup sliced mushroom

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 eggs

1 teaspoon cilantro

1 teaspoon cornstarch

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, guava juice, orange juice, ginger, jalapeno, honey, salt and pepper.

Stir together and pour into a Ziplock bag. Add shrimp and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While shrimp is marinating, slice and roughly chop the mushrooms and mince the onion. In a small pan over medium heat, saute onions and mushrooms in vegetable oil until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove shrimp from marinade and add to a medium pan over medium heat.

Add shrimp, onions, mushrooms and a few tablespoons of sauce to the eggs so they become part of the omelette. Let the egg mixture sit to cook, occasionally shimmying the pan to prevent from sticking, until mostly cooked. Flip and turn omelette over to finish cooking. Fold omelette in half, transfer to plate and serve with sauce. Garnish with cilantro if desired.