Lunchtime Recipe Challenge
Tupelo Honey Café recently partnered with A.J. Whittenberg Elementary to sponsor a series of cooking demonstrations and a special recipe contest to encourage students and families to cook healthy at home. The contest challenged students to submit recipes that are nutritious, tasty, economical and easy to prepare. Tupelo Honey accepted recipes from students throughout the month of December and a panel of ten judges selected the winner in January. On February 3, 5th grader Cannon Jackson’s recipe “Popeye’s Omelet” was announced as the winner. 
Cannon was awarded a special prize package from Tupelo Honey Cafe which includes a field trip to Mill Village Farms for his class.
As a bonus, with the support of Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition services, Cannon’s recipe will be served in the A.J. Whittenberg cafeteria in the coming months. The top three recipes will be submitted for the 2015 Kids’ State Dinner and Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Contest, an annual event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. In July 2014, A.J. Whittenberg student Julia Pascoe was selected to represent South Carolina at the third annual Kids’ State Dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C. 
Her winning recipe, “Carolina Chicken Chili,” has been added to the Greenville County Schools menu and will be served on an ongoing basis. The Kids' State Dinner is hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and sponsored by Epicurious, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contests coincide with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles in schools.