As shoppers perused the produce section of , some Avon, Farmington and Granby high school students and their families were there for another reason – the annual Teen Chef Battle.
With a strong smell of garlic in the air, the teen chefs hastily worked at their stations toward the front of the store to make their Mediterranean dishes, featuring a secret ingredient – kale.
Ultimately, it was ‘s Tunisian fish soup and spicy carrot salad that the judges – Tom Sentino, Simsbury High School culinary instructor, Terry Walters, author and foodie, and Carrie Taylor, Big Y registered dietitian – savored, giving Avon the championship.
The judges told the teams that they could work on knife safety, cleaning produce more thoroughly to prevent food-born illness and avoiding cross-contamination.
The event was sponsored by the Farmington Valley Health District and nutrition was a factor the judges were curious about.
Taste-wise, the judges agreed all the groups could have used more kale.
However, they could not fault them for their creativity.
While Avon made Tunisian cuisine, Granby’s focus was Spain – paella and virgin sangria – and Farmington artfully cooked the foods of Southern France – ratatouille and vichysoisse.