'A Cut Above the Rest,' a high school team from CV-TEC, Plattsburgh, prepares Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Sour Cream at North Country Jr. Iron Chef 2015. Photo by Jason Hunter for the Health Initiative.

POTSDAM -- Over 20 teams competed in third North Country Jr. Iron Chef competition March 14, with a Canton team claiming first place in the middle school division.

Twenty-two middle and high school age teams from around the region developed healthy recipes using a combination of local and USDA foods that could be realistically prepared in a school cafeteria, according to Sarah Bentley-Garfinkel, school program director at Healthy Schools NY.

Dishes were judged by distinguished panels including school administrators, food service staff, students, chefs, farmers and others.

The title of 2015 North Country Jr. Iron Chefs in the middle school division was won by “The Team to Beet” of Canton Central School with “A Complete Breakfast is Hard to Beet! (beet-blueberry muffins)”.

A Cut Above the Rest of CV-TEC in Plattsburgh earned the title of 2015 North Country Jr. Iron Chefs in the high school division with “Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Sour Cream”.

The complete list of middle school winners includes:

• 1st Place: The Team to Beet, Canton Central School

• 2nd Place: Savory Souper Flyers, Norwood-Norfolk Central School

• 3rd Place: SRF Chefs, St. Regis Falls Central School

• Honorable Mention: Three Plus One, Potsdam Central School

High School winners include a second place for Brushton-Moira Central School’s BMC Healthy Panthers, and an honorable mention for the Canton Golden Chefs of Canton Central School.

The BMC Healthy Panthers of Brushton-Moira Central School presented broco-cheese burritos for judging at the competition, stating “our hope was to remove vegetables from people’s “yucky” list and move them to their “yummy” list, and to encourage students to eat breakfast… along the way, some of us have even changed our ideas about healthy food and how it can taste”.

Bentley-Garfinkel says this type of feedback illustrates exactly what the Health Initiative hopes to achieve with this event. “These youth are champions, testing new ingredients and cooking techniques to create a dish their peers would like to eat, while developing important skills and expanding their own palettes. We applaud these and all the youth participants for their creativity and hard work.”

Recipes and photos from the competition will available at the event website, ncjrironchef.org, within the next two weeks.

Event sponsors included Golden Griddle sponsor Fidelis Care; Stainless Skillet sponsors Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and Healthy Schools NY; Pewter Platter sponsor Excellus BlueCross BlueShield; Copper Kettle sponsor Community Bank, N.A.; Bamboo Bowl sponsors Lewis County General Hospital, New York State Agriculture in the Classroom and North Country Savings Bank; and Wire Whisk sponsors Hurlbut Tent Rental and St. Lawrence Supply/Bicknell Building Supply.

The event was also supported by Potsdam Central School; Dan’s Plumbing and Heating; Chef Kyle Mayette at Clarkson University; Jefferson County Public Health Service; and Potsdam Public Library.

To learn more about North Country Jr. Iron Chef, visit ncjrironchef.org or contact 261-4760.