On August 1, Ohio 4-H hosted the first 4-H Food Challenge at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau Center. Eight counties sent teams to this inaugural contest.
During the challenge, junior and senior teams of 3–4 youth received a list of ingredients and had 40 minutes to collaborate and create an edible dish. Teams were randomly assigned to one of four categories: protein, fruit and vegetables, grains, or dairy. Without ingredient amounts, recipes, or instructions, participants had to create their dish entirely from scratch. Teams also had to plan a presentation and clean up their workspace in the allotted time. Once time was up, teams presented their dish to judges and were scored based on preparation, serving size, food safety concerns, nutritional value, and overall dish cost.
“The Ohio 4-H Food Challenge started as an opportunity to have youth explore real- world skills on a statewide scale,” said Ross County 4-H Educator Ryan Kline, who was the event chair. “We have tons of animal science teams that compete at a national level, but currently we do not send any food, nutrition, or clothing teams to compete. Our team wanted to provide an achievable goal for those looking to expand their knowledge and skills in another area of competition.”
The Food Challenge is designed to help participants grow in key areas such as time management and critical thinking. Competitors must work under pressure to creatively prepare a dish, present it to judges, and manage all aspects of the process—from interpreting ingredients to delivering a clear presentation.
Sisters Sadie and Olivia Wilhelmy competed in this year’s challenge in their respective age divisions, and both of their teams placed first in their divisions. Both are proud members of the Ringleaders 4-H Club in Brown County.
Sadie competed in the senior division, where her team, The Spice Girls, created the winning dish: creamy beef and veggie pasta. “This experience has changed the way I think about teamwork and cooking,” she shared. “It helped me realize how important it is to work well with your partner and how fortunate I am to have learned to cook from a young age.”
Sadie’s most memorable moment came while waiting to present. “You start the contest in the kitchen, rushing around a million miles a minute to finish your dish,” she recalled. “Then suddenly, you’re sitting in the waiting room—no talking, just silence. The whole time, I was thinking, ‘Any moment now, I have to be ready to present.’ It was nerve-racking, but also a lot of fun. I couldn’t be prouder of the work we did to win.”
As a member of a junior team, Olivia learned how to prepare food without a recipe and cook efficiently under pressure while following food safety guidelines. Describing the experience, she shared, “It was stressful to get everything finished on time, but my teammates and I each had designated jobs to do. The space we had to work in was very small. We were crammed together and very close to another team. At one point we lost a plate because the team next to us accidentally took it.” Olivia and her team, The Sizzle Sisters, prepared beef tacos for their dish and won first in the junior division.
Teams had to bring their own cooking kits with utensils and cooking equipment. A grant from the Ohio 4-H Foundation provided 17 cooking kits to counties.
The winning senior team, The Spice Girls, comprised of Madison Dyer and Sadie Wilhelmy, will advance to the national contest located at the State Fair of Texas in September.