Helena Third Through Fifth Graders Compete in Future Chefs Cooking Competition

A Jefferson third grader beat out 60 recipe submissions to claim the grand prize at Helena's Future Chefs competition, walking away with a 3-foot fire trophy and a ticket to the regional level for his chicken katsu and jasmine rice.

Joel Mozer was among 12 students from grades three through five who competed at the Capital High Base Kitchen on March 9, preparing their dishes in a commercial kitchen for both display and public sampling. The finalists were selected from 60 total recipe entries submitted by Helena elementary students, with each finalist earning a personal chef coat and hat just for making it to the cook-off.

This year's theme, "Passport to Flavor," pushed students to draw from cuisines around the world. Third grader Isaac Bell made a curry carrot soup, explaining his reasoning plainly: "It's healthy, it tastes good, and I just really love the theme of it." Bell added that he figured if his entire family liked it, the public might too.

Fourth grader Evelyn Dorrington said the competition meant more than a trophy. "I enjoy cooking because it is fun to try new recipes and just really fun to see what you can make," she said. Dorrington also used the event to share her grandmother's heritage, saying, "It is really fun, and I hope that I can make it for my kids and grandkids."

Robert Worthy, Helena Public Schools' food service director, emphasized the range of skill and ambition on display. "Whether they are using a knife, a mixer, whatever they are doing, frying the food, we have all different levels," he said. He was equally clear about the quality: "It is not things you are going to see like walking into McDonald's, these are things you are going to see going to different restaurants at a higher quality."

The competition is part of the Sodexo Future Chefs program, which has run in Helena for two decades and continues to grow each year. Mozer's winning recipe, along with other top submissions, will now advance to regional competition.