The Junior Chef Academy was developed to address food insecurity at the source: our children.
In 2022, conversations with the World Food Championships helped pave a pathway for young culinary beginners in middle school to learn the skills needed to compete on a world stage. This pathway would generate interest and talent in youth while using food sports as a gateway to healthier eating habits, crossover skills in the home kitchen, and future culinary careers.
The Junior Chef Academy launched in March of 2023 with 50 middle school applicants. Twenty of those students would make the initial cut and begin a 9 month journey that would qualify at least one of them for them World Food Championships. Nine months after it began, Junior Chef Academy student, Tony Fernandez, became the Junior World Champion! Now the program is expanding, currently serving three sites with the help of program Executive Director, Ross Katz, and Program Chef Youssef Boudarine.
Kelly's Fund proudly supports this annual program along with Team Indiana and Paramount Schools of Excellence. The Junior Chef Academy is still seeking additional partnerships, donations, and sponsorships to elevate the existing program and grow others like it.
In 2023, every meeting of the Junior Chef Academy was filmed as an episode. Now you can follow the journey from the beginning classes to the World Championships for our inaugural JCA Students! Each video is linked below.
