Top Phoenix chefs and school kids join forces for the tastiest charity gala of the year
Blue Watermelon's Feeding the Future event returns to the Farm at the South Mountain on Jan. 28.
Part school lunch recipe development, part education and scholarship program, for Feeding the Future, students are paired up with local chefs to develop a school breakfast, lunch or snacks depending on their age. Join James Beard Award winning chef, Charleen Badman of FnB restaurant at the annual event where you can support taste their creative dishes and support improvements to Arizona school lunch programs.
What is the Blue Watermelon Project?
Badman started Blue Watermelon Project in partnership with chefs, farmers, restaurateurs and food advocates to ensure that school children have access to good food. In general, after labor costs, schools are left with a budge of $1 per child for a lunch, which means purchasing more frozen and processed foods. The chefs who volunteer with Blue Watermelon Project work with the students to create healthier meals on a low budget.
The high schoolers work on menus for the entire lunch tray. Middle schoolers are responsible for breakfast or afternoon snacks. Elementary kids add a fruit or vegetable component to the tray.
“They start to develop ideas when school starts and they have until winter break,” Badman said.
Ten teams work with their partner chefs who help them develop their ideas.
High schoolers have a budget of $1.50 to put together a meal they would eat that is nutritionally sound, which they then present to judges at the annual Feeding the Future gala.
“They have to go before the judges and tell them how they came up with the idea, why, what were the challenges and what did they like about it,” Badman explained.
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How to attend the Feeding the Future gala
The fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Farm at South Mountain. Tickets range from $25-$100 and are available online.
Ticket holders will have the opportunity to taste the dishes that the top 10 teams present to the judges. During the judges' deliberation, attendees can enjoy the farm, outdoor activities and live music.
The top three teams receive scholarships, which for the high school students are: $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place.
Details: Feeding the Future Annual Fundraiser, The Farm at South Mountain, 6106 S. 32nd St., Phoenix. https://www.bluewatermelonproject.org/feedingthefuture2023.
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Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Feeding the Future 2023: What to know about the Phoenix charity event
