Kid Food Nation winners at our 2021 virtual gala with YTV hosts Spencer & Tyra and Chef Marysol Foucault
TORONTO, ON [October 30, 2021] – Created through the partnership of President’s Choice Children’s Charity, Corus Entertainment, and BGC Canada (formerly Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada), the fifth annual Kid Food Nation national recipe contest asked young chefs aged 7 – 13 to submit original, healthy recipes that highlighted their culture or their Canadian pride.
Along with a prize pack that included a tablet, culinary tools, and a custom Kid Food Nation chef jacket and apron, our winners enjoyed a virtual cooking class hosted by Chef Marysol Foucault and YTV hosts Spencer Litzinger and Tyra Sweet. And as an added bonus this year, each winner will receive a $5,000 grant from President’s Choice Children’s Charity for an in-class food growing system, plus tools and supplies for the winners and their classmates to cultivate their own kitchen gardens at home.
All the delicious winning recipes, including Smoked Meat Bannock Pizza, Greek Bean Burgers with Dill Yogurt Sauce, Stuffed Jalapeños, and Double Potato Pie, as well as a recipe and foreword from Chef Foucault, are featured in the Kid Food Nation Cookbook, Volume 5, available for purchase from the publisher Les Éditions Cardinal.
The national recipe contest is designed to bring awareness to the Kid Food Nation program that runs at BGC Clubs across the country. Generously supported by President’s Choice Children’s Charity, the eight-week Kid Food Nation curriculum has four main goals:
- Teach children ages 7-12 essential culinary skills
- Encourage healthy choices about the food they eat
- Empower parents and families to plan, prepare, and cook healthy meals and snacks
- Foster healthy habits for life
To date, the program has run at 94 BGC Club locations across the country, and it’s working—over 2,500 kids have taken part in the program and 3 out of 4 participants say they tried a new recipe at home.
President’s Choice Children’s Charity is BGC Canada’s most significant nutrition partner. Along with Kid Food Nation, they support Basic Needs Brighter Future, Project Backpack, and Summertime Eat Well—together, the four programs ensure that all 200,000 BGC members eat well and thrive all year round.
Kid Food Nation also consists of a free, public website created by Corus Entertainment, which includes games, videos, tips about healthy eating, fun cooking facts, recipes, and more—see all the action at kidfoodnation.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Jared Morrow
Media Relations Manager, BGC Canada
905-477-7272 x2202
jmorrow@bgccan.com
