The Harrison County 4-Hers cooked up some big wins at the District 5 4-H Food Challenge, held this past Friday at the Windham Civic Center in Center.

“We had two junior teams and two intermediate teams,” said County Extension Agent Louraiseal McDonald.

McDonald was pleased to see the great participation and credits 4-H program assistant Jennifer Dyson for her recruitment and retention efforts, contributing to the success.

“This year we had four teams; last year we only had two teams,” said McDonald. “A huge shout-out goes to Jennifer, because without her none of this would be (accomplished).”

At the competition, intermediate team No. 1, titled Harrison County Tasteful Table, placed first in their side dish food category. Team members were Braedyn Thelen, Johnathan Knox and Jacob Lamb.

Junior team No. 1, named Harrison County Triple “A” Threat, placed second in its respective food category. Team members were Abigail Knox, Axel Perry and Addyson Thelen.

Other participating Harrison County teams included junior team No. 2, named Harrison County Jelly Beans; and intermediate team No. 1, titled Harrison County Cool Crew.

Members competing on the Jelly Beans team were Everly Ebarb, Joshua Olvera, Jathan “Noah” Stanley and Makenzie Hicks. Competing on the Harrison County Cool Crew were Giovanni Olvera, Micah Stanley, Mila Nelson and Makenna Branch.

The junior team division is for ages third through fifth grade; the intermediate division is for grades sixth through eighth.

At the District 54-H Food Challenge, teams were challenged to create a dish using only a key ingredient and access to a “grocery store” of other ingredients, according to contest rules. From the selected ingredients, team members were required to create a healthy dish while practicing proper food safety, food preparation and communication skills.

Teams were then judged on their knowledge of the My Plate dietary guidelines, nutrition, food preparation, safety concerns and practices, serving size information, food appearance/quality, creativity, effectiveness of communication, teamwork, and management.

McDonald thanked the 4-H parents as well as the 4-H club managers and program leaders for their support of the participants.

“We just really thank everyone who gave up their time and also sponsors,” said McDonald. “We just really thank everybody for pulling together and pulling it off.”

McDonald is looking forward to the participation growing in the future.

“We doubled participation this year; just imagine if we double again next year,” she said.

The county extension agent praised the intermediate Tasteful Table team, in particular, for their longevity in the program. The three members have been longtime partners in every contest.

“The intermediate team, this is those guys last year, being in the middle school (level); next year they’ll be in high school,” she said, noting they’ll be competing in the senior division next year. “So these three guys will compete again. They stay together on the team; they perfect their craft.”

McDonald said the team members have worked so hard that they have the potential to even advance to the state competition next year at Texas A&M University in College Station.

“I would love to see them go to state and bring home (a trophy). It’s doable,” said McDonald. “These three guys, their hard work is paying off. But not just them, I encourage the other kids to continue to work together and just study (the food and nutrition guidelines), and start thinking out of the box when you go into the kitchen to prepare.”

McDonald said she sees great things in store for all participants as they continue to compete in various food competitions.

“I’m very proud of the kids. I want them to be encouraged,” she said.

Next up, the Harrison County 4-H program is looking forward to presenting the 4-H grilling 101 summer program, set for June at Bear Creek Smokehouse.