From 2,000 Down to Five--National Finalists Announced in Sodexo's Future Chefs: Healthy After-School Snack Challenge

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no surprise to learn that students' top five favorite after-school snacks are cookies, fruit, chips, pizza and sandwiches. So, while kids are clearly not always making healthy choices (kudos to the fruit fans), the five finalists for Sodexo's Future Chefs: Healthy After-School Snack Challenge may change that, thanks to their creative—and palate pleasing—creations.

And now you get to help pick the national winner on SodexoUSA.com. Sodexo, a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations, today announced the five elementary school finalists who were chosen from more than 223 Sodexo-served school districts across the country.

The five 2015 Sodexo Future Chefs: Healthy After-School Snack Challenge national finalists are:

• Elle Medel, San Jose Unified School District in San Jose, CA
• Ella Henry, West Aurora School District 129 in Aurora, IL
• Nathan Sauder, Pittsgrove Township School District in Pittsgrove, NJ
• Abbigayle Battrell, Wilmington City Schools in Wilmington, OH
• Allison Mitchell, Floresville Independent School District in Floresville, TX

The five national finalists rose above more than 2,000 participating students, representing approximately 1,000 Sodexo-served elementary schools in 29 states. The students' recipes were reviewed by a panel of judges and were evaluated based on the originality, presentation, ease of preparation, kid-friendliness, and healthiness of their recipe.  Once tapped as a finalist, the students created a video of their healthy after-school snack creation and now the public can vote to determine the 2015 national winner.  Voting is open for one week from Monday, April 27, through Sunday, May 3.

The Sodexo Future Chefs program, now in its fifth year as a national event, creates positive behavioral changes in students by enabling them to get actively involved in good nutrition. Programs like Future Chefs represent examples of Sodexo's commitment to health, wellbeing and support for the school districts and communities it serves. Another example is Sodexo's recent work with the Partnership for a Healthier America. In addition to other pledges, the company committed to offering more free breakfast meals in schools and increasing the selection of healthier, more nutritious options in its vending and K-12 lunchroom programs.

Visit Sodexo on Facebook, follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA and join the social media conversation by using the hashtag #SDXFutureChefs in related Tweets and posts.

ABOUT SODEXO

Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc., the leading Quality of Life services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $25 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at SodexoInsights.com. Visit Sodexo on Facebook and follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA.

SOURCE Sodexo

Related Links

http://www.sodexoUSA.com

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