What's Happening in Dublin, OH…

Leadership Dublin, in concert with Linda Worden, an instructor at Coffman High School, cooked up a challenge for high school students last month.

They came up with a contest in which students would devise and cook healthy foods, with the winner's item going on the cafeteria menu next year.

The contest began when 30 hopeful teams sent in videos of their proposed menu items. From the initial round, seven teams were chosen. Then, Coffman High School students had the chance to vote on the finalists. The top three vote-getters were the teams that proposed serving shish kabobs, fajitas, and jambalaya.

The contest ended April 17, in a cook-off in which each team make their recipe for a panel of judges, including Chef Bal Arneson, a celebrity chef who has the “Spice Goddess” show on the Cooking Channel. The student cooks said they wanted to make healthy recipes they would enjoy eating at lunch.

Kaylen Chang, a member of the jambalaya team, said they wanted a dish that was different, and incorporated a lot of color. The idea of jambalaya appealed to all the team members.

However, it was the fajitas, cooked up by Saj Patel, Robbie Squier, Lynette Sundheimer, and Bailey Whitlow that won the day. The team took home first place, as well as a check for $1,000.

School officials might work with a banner printing company on a congratulatory banner to hang in the school entry.