"The Kids' State Dinner is a White House original"...The White House on Monday released a video of the Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and their team preparing the menu for First Lady Michelle Obama's Kids' State Dinner luncheon, created from winning recipes from the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a contest run by Epicurious.com to support the Let's Move! campaign (the list of winners). The 54 pint-sized chefs, ages 8-12, were treated to an exciting day in the spotlight, which included a surprise visit from President Obama as the lunched in the East Room. (Above: Chef Comerford plates salads for the luncheon, in the Old Family Dining Room)
The menu used bounty from Mrs. Obama's Kitchen Garden: Tomato, zucchini, mint and melons.
After the luncheon, the kids got to see where their meal originated as they toured the garden with Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass. CLICK HERE for all posts about the Kids' State Dinner.
Noted the White House with the video: "The Kids' State Dinner is a White House original in many ways--it's not only the first time the guests of honor are ALL under the age of 13, it's also the first time the White House kitchen has served a formal meal where the entire menu was created by "chefs" who have no formal training. But Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses say they learned a thing or two about healthy cooking from the young winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge." CLICK HERE for a downloadable book with the winning recipes [PDF].
Kids' State Dinner Luncheon Menu
First
Kale Chips
Samuel Wohabe, age 9, New York
Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad
Haile Thomas, age 11, Arizona
Main
Yummy Cabbage Sloppy Joes
Rori Coyne, age 12, Kansas
Baked Zucchini Fries
Sydney Brown, age 11, North Carolina
Dessert
Strawberryanna Smoothie
Stefani Shimomura-Sakamoto, age 11, Hawaii
Summer Fruit Garland
Eva Farley, age 8, South Dakota
Kale Chips
Samuel Wohabe, age 9, New York
Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad
Haile Thomas, age 11, Arizona
Main
Yummy Cabbage Sloppy Joes
Rori Coyne, age 12, Kansas
Baked Zucchini Fries
Sydney Brown, age 11, North Carolina
Dessert
Strawberryanna Smoothie
Stefani Shimomura-Sakamoto, age 11, Hawaii
Summer Fruit Garland
Eva Farley, age 8, South Dakota
The kids had water on the table, served in lidded mason jar glasses with striped straws, and were also offered a choice of berry or orange juice. Lunch was served on the Ronald Reagan State service.
*White House photo by Sonya N. Hebert
