Emanuel 4-H wins first at Georgia 4-H Food Showcase

The Georgia 4-H Food Showcase brought 4-H’ers from around the state to Rock Eagle 4-H Center on September 21 for the Chicken Barbecue, Turkey Barbecue, Egg Chef, and Food Challenge contests. Nataleigh Belcher, Nathaniel Harry, Lauren Sapp, and Sam Williams competed and won first place in the senior Food Challenge competition with Williams also competed in the Egg Chef competition. Volunteers Kathy Hood and T’Neil Williams coached the team.

Food Challenge requires teams of 3-4 students to cook with “mystery” ingredients and create a dish in 40 minutes. The teams present their completed dish to a panel of judges and are scored on preparation, serving size, food safety concerns, nutritional value, and cost. Students qualify at the country and district level to compete at the state contest.

The Egg Chef contest calls for students to learn about nutritional value, preparation and storage, functional properties, grading, versatility and economics of cooking with eggs. Each contestant prepares a dish with eggs as the featured ingredient with a one-hour time limit. The finished product is presented to a panel of judges.

Students competing in the Chicken Barbecue and Turkey Barbecue contests prepare dishes outdoors on charcoal grills using chicken halves and ground turkey. Their finished dishes are presented to a panel of judges. Participants have 2.5 hours to complete their dish and must utilize best food safety practices. They consider nutrition, versatility, and cost as they select their recipe for the competition.

Chicken Barbecue, Turkey Barbecue, and Egg Preparation Demonstration contestants also create and present an educational demonstration that displays their knowledge of the essential components of safe and healthy cooking with poultry products.

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Extension Agents from the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences partner with Georgia 4-H to facilitate the contest. Eighty-two 4-H’ers from 18 counties competed at the state level during Food Showcase. Junior teams are made up of youth from 4th grade to 8th grade and senior teams are 9th through 12th grade 4-H’ers.

“We are so grateful for the faculty, staff, and graduate students from UGA Poultry Science Department, UGA Nutritional Sciences Department, and South Carolina State Extension who served as judges for this special event,” said Kasey Bozeman, Georgia 4-H Extension Specialist for Science Programs. Food Showcase was presented by Cal-Maine Foods and Eggland’s Best, with additional support from Ken and Chris Jones, Ed and Dorothea Graham, and Kasey Bozeman.

The Emanuel County 4-H team will compete in the National 4-H Food Challenge in College Station, TX in 2025 and also achieved Georgia 4-H Master status.

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships, and community awareness. As the premier youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches hundreds of thousands annually through UGA Extension offices and 4-H facilities.

For more information on Emanuel County 4-H, its programs, or how you can get involved as a 4-H member, volunteer, or donor, contact Emanuel County Extension at (478) 237-1226 or visit the office 129 N. Anderson Drive in Swainsboro.