Scroll Top

 As Published by Burlington County Times, Written By Kristen Coppock, staff writer, 4/25/2017 –

Food for all

The Food Bank of South Jersey is hosting its fifth annual Food Bank Hunger Games cooking competition Thursday, 6:30-9 p.m., at the Pennsauken facility. This year’s event introduces new wine- and food-tasting elements.

The event benefits the food bank’s summer meals program, which delivers breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks to children in need during the summer months.

The competition showcases the skills of 10 corporate teams that are sponsored by South Jersey businesses, including Canada Dry and Snapple. It combines elements of the Food Network show “Chopped” and the “Hunger Games” franchise of books and films. Teams are tasked with creating a healthy meal in under 45 minutes, using a box of food items that are typically distributed to families through the food bank.

“We challenge competitors to use ingredients that are similar to what one might find in a food pantry to showcase what everyday people are struggling with when trying to put a wholesome meal on the table,” food bank President and CEO Val Traore said. “They quickly find it’s tough to put together a healthy meal with limited resources. So this enables them to get creative and engage with the audience to sponsor the purchase of additional ingredients that will make their dish really sing.”

Judges include chef George Kyrtatas, known as one of the top Greek chefs in the world, and chef Aaron McCargo Jr., the 2008 winner of “The Next Food Network Star” television competition. Their selections are based on taste, presentation, and the use of MyPlate meal components.

South Jersey wineries will be featured in the wine-tasting portion. Foods for tasting are being presented by Take It Home, a fresh-meal delivery service in Haddonfield.

Skip to content