Four kids, eight meals, one grand prize of $300,000.
The Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) Cook-Off was launched by Nestlé Jamaica Limited to commemorate International Chef Day (ICD) on October 20, 2022. The 30-minute TV series debuted on Sunday, October 16 ahead of the ICD celebrations, to highlight and develop children with culinary skills, celebrate the culinary landscape for ICD, and educate consumers about the Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme.
Hosted by renowned Executive Chef Brian Lumley, who is now the corporate chef at Nestlé Jamaica Limited, each module in the eight-episode series featured four young chefs — Shiloh Harris, Pilar Silvera, Summer Smith and Logan Oliver — who went head-to-head each week in a battle for points, bragging rights and a first-place cash price of $300,000.
Each week the contestants were given a theme to prepare a meal of their choice using the ingredients, some of which were Nestlé favourites of course. The special themes were most times paired with a topic that explores general nutrition and wellness, utilising various educational aspects of the Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme, a primary-based plan aimed at students 7-12 years of age, to raise awareness on the importance of food education for children. Some of the topics included superfoods, the importance of reading food labels, the types of sugars, and the importance of breakfast, among others.
With Lumley, a two-time Jamaican Chef of the Year and one-time Caribbean Chef of the Year, at the helm as the show's host and main judge, the series was a must-watch for the entire family. Joining Lumley in the judges' seats were the Campbell siblings, Joshua and Lauren, more affectionately known as LC and Weezy.
Lumley, one of Jamaica's brightest and widely known culinary stars, proved to be a great 'master chef' to lead the budding chefs on their competitive culinary journey. Each week the young chefs were judged based on the following areas: theme alignment, nutrition, taste and presentation. They were then assigned points based on their ranking with 10 points for first place, seven points for second, five for third, and three for fourth place.
After a very competitive showing, 12-year-old Pilar Silvera was dubbed the first N4HK Cook-Off winner on her birthday, after a consistent showing of her culinary prowess.
There were for eight weeks lots of high moments — and some lows — with great tastes and presentations. Saturday Social shares a few of the season's highlights.
See the Jamaica Observer Article here