Foods Lab: Festive Foods for Health Senior Project Guide

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Georgia 4-H Project Achievement empowers young people with skills for a lifetime. Through a competitive process, students explore their interests, unleash their creativity, share their work, and celebrate their achievements! This guide provides 9th – 12th graders with examples for getting started with their project exploration.

Overview of Project Achievement Process

1) Choose project
2) Develop skills in leadership and service
3) Prepare portfolio for work completed from January 1 – December 31
4) Prepare presentation
5) Practice
6) Compete
7) Reflect

Description of Foods Lab: Festive Foods for Health Project

4-H’ers may explore areas of foods and nutrition including food planning and preparation with an emphasis on party, international, and ethnic foods. Through this project 4-Her’s may:

• utilize MyPlate.gov to plan, select, and purchase appropriate foods for meals and snacks that are low in fat, sodium, sugar, and calories
• develop an understanding of and practice safe food handling and preparation techniques
• acquire skills in basic food preparation techniques, including measuring, chopping, and mixing
• determine calories in foods and dishes prepared
• investigate the balance of appropriate foods, according to nutrient, fat, and calorie content, and daily exercise
• acquire skills in planning, preparing, and serving nutritious international, ethnic, and party foods
• acquire skills in menu preparation and table setting
• explore career opportunities related to foods and nutrition

Examples of Project Development Experiences

• Experiment with and prepare a variety of nutritious dishes using various cooking techniques
• Organize and conduct a local cook-off of festive, international, or party foods recipes
• Compete in the Georgia 4-H Food Showcase and fair contests
• Attend Hospitality Career Academy at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia
• Try out for cooking shows such as Teen Chopped or Kids’ Baking Championship, etc.
• Shadow a professional chef or take a tour of a culinary arts school
• Become a Georgia 4-H Healthy Living Ambassador

Project Sharing and Helping Examples

• Conduct a food demonstration at a local store, a civic organization, or a nursing home
•  Conduct a workshop on healthy cooking for teens, younger kids, civic groups, afterschool programs, nursing home residents, club members, and school classes
• Write an article for your local newspaper about the importance of nutritional foods and feature your recipe
• Work with Extension Agent on MilkMake and/or Peanutrition activity for younger 4-H’ers
• Organize a cooking school for younger 4-H’ers
• Collect and test recipes for a club cookbook. Host a tasting party
• Organize and conduct a local cook-off of foods recipes
• Lead your County 4-H Food Challenge Team
• Work with your Extension Agent to host your county 4-H Pantry Pride contest and assist 4-H’ers in developing recipes
• Lead a healthy foods project club for younger youth
• Mentor a 4th—6th grade 4-H’er in the their foods lab project

Special Considerations

• Prior to the competition visit the Georgia 4-H Project Achievement Foods Labs page and view the General Guidelines, Food Safety, Nutrition, and Dairy Foods training modules, as well as specific guidelines for preparing your dish. The webpage can be found at: georgia4h.org/programs/focus-areas/healthy-living/foods-and-nutrition/
• Provide all food, supplies, and equipment needed for the demonstration and display your recipe and menu for the judges. You may provide additional recipe copies for judges.
• Use safe food handling techniques when preparing food.
• At the competition, plan to display the menu, prepare the dish you have practiced, and present your dish using a table setting.
• Answer judges’ questions about the dish and menu.
• Keep your area clean and neat at all times.

Recommended Resources

• Georgia4h.org/ProjectAchievement
• georgia4h.org/programs/focus-areas/healthy-living/foods-and-nutrition/
• fcs.uga.edu/extension/food
• myplate.gov/
• foodsafety.gov
• fda.gov
• thedairyalliance.com/meet-our-dairy-farmers/
• cdc.gov/food-safety/
• usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/whats-cooking-usda-foods

At Competition

Foods Lab: Festive Foods for Health 4-H projects prepare and display one festive dish in the time allotted. Youth must provide their own equipment, ingredients, preparation, set up, and display. Youth should measure and chop
ingredients on site and demonstrate laboratory safety. See more at: georgia4h.org/programs/focus-areas/healthy-living/foods-and-nutrition/

Prepared by: Cheryl Varnadoe, Keri Hobbs, and Gabrielle Buono
Reviewed by: Lee Anna Deal and Jason Estep