Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
The 4-H Culinary Challenge Contest will require 4-H member to demonstrate healthy decision making through nutrition, food preparation, menu planning, and food safety, utilizing a foods and nutrition curriculum. They will apply healthy living knowledge and skills by planning a nutritious menu, demonstrating their understanding of time management skills in the kitchen, and expressing their originality and creativity through an appropriate themed and properly set table. To showcase these skills, 4-H members will create a menu, prepare a food item, and choose an appropriate theme for their occasion while expressing their food, nutrition, and food safety knowledge during a live interview with a judge at the contest. In order to highlight knowledge and skills acquired during pre-contest preparation, 4-H members will utilize technology as part of their interview.
Plan a menu suitable for an indoor or outdoor meal. Members will prepare one food from the menu at home and bring it along with selected table service, two display cards and own card table/eating area.
The food may be an individual serving or for family service. Recipes may be from any source. The table service will include dishes, flatware, and table linens for two place settings plus centerpiece. Paper plates are acceptable. The display cards should be approximately 4 inches by 6 inches. Print or type the theme or event title and complete menu on one card, and the recipe on another.
Dress should be appropriate for category.
4-H’er must be enrolled in the foods and nutrition project to participate. Advanced registration should be submitted to the Extension Office seven days before the contest. Choose from any theme (examples: Birthday, Holiday, Picnic, Breakfast, Tea, Luau, etc.)
E413019 Junior — Ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year.
E413020 Intermediate — Ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year.
E413021 Senior — Ages 14 and older as of January 1 of current year.
Culinary Challenge Team Contest
A challenge ingredient will be selected each year, highlighting a Nebraska commodity food product. The 2026 challenge ingredient is POTATOES. Please keep food safety in mind when selecting the recipe used for the Challenge. Foods must be able to be kept chilled during transport to the contest, then be able to be re-heated in a microwave if needed. Each team must incorporate the challenge ingredient into their food item they will be presenting during the contest. This may require altering a recipe or creatively incorporating an item into their overall table theme. The challenge ingredient must also be included in the interview presentation, demonstrating youth knowledge of the ingredient, such as nutritional value, a farm-to-fork concept, or how to adapt a recipe to include the ingredient.
Judge’s Interview
The team should view themselves as the hosts, welcoming the judge, cooperatively presenting the table to the judge, incorporating multi-media resources, and answering any questions from the judge. Teams must be prepared to present to the judge utilizing technology, such as PowerPoint, picture story, or other multi-media resource. Presentations may include photos, clip art, animation, video or audio sound. The 4-H members should cooperatively present a verbal presentation to the judge that is highlighted by their multi-media presentation via computer or tablet. Participants must provide their own computer or other equipment needed for their 4-H Foods Event judging interview. Presentations will occur at participants’ tables. Please do not bring projectors or other equipment which will require extra space.
Considerations should be given to creatively include the following items through the multi-media presentation:
- Nutritional facts of their menu
- Food safety
- Time management
- Choice of menu
- Food preparation
- Cost of item/per serving
- Food handling techniques
- Recipe of the food item shared with the judge
- Challenge ingredient (nutritional value, farm-to-fork, recipe revision, etc.)
Junior Class (8-13 years of age January 1 of current year):
*E413022 Culinary Challenge Contest
Senior Class (14 years of age or older January 1 of current year):
*E413023 Culinary Challenge Contest