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Hosting

This is a step-by-step plan for hosting a Real School Food Challenge. This guide provides tips and resources that can be customized for your own event.

Hosting a the Real School Food Challenge is easy!

All you have to do is:

  • Choose your competitors
  • Invite your guests
  • Get ready
  • Take the challenge!

Hosting

This is a step-by-step plan for hosting a Real School Food Challenge. This guide provides tips and resources that can be customized for your own event.

Hosting a the Real School Food Challenge is easy!

All you have to do is:

  • Choose your competitors
  • Invite your guests
  • Get ready
  • Take the challenge!

Choose Your Competitors

Consider friends or family members that have a passion for cooking, a love of competition, or a connection to the school food cause to be your chef competitors. You’ll ideally want to have between two and four competitors for the challenge. Your competitors may also prefer to work in teams, which is great! The more, the merrier!

Once you’ve decided who you’re reaching out to, send a Competitor Ask Email to those people, explaining the goal of the event and what their participation would entail.

You’ll want to have your lineup finalized at least one month prior to the event to give your competitors time to review the challenge guidelines and create their recipes.

Invite Your Guests

We recommend using Facebook to plan your event. Follow our guide for tips and tricks to make the event. And of course, if using a social media platform isn’t for you, do what you’re comfortable with!

Next step is inviting your guests! We’ve written a sample invitation for you to use.

It’s a good idea to send out invites four to six weeks prior to the event. As the event draws nearer, you can send out reminder invites to those who have yet to RSVP.

Invite Your Guests

We recommend using Facebook to plan your event. Follow our guide for tips and tricks to make the event. And of course, if using a social media platform isn’t for you, do what you’re comfortable with!

Next step is inviting your guests! We’ve written a sample invitation for you to use.

It’s a good idea to send out invites four to six weeks prior to the event. As the event draws nearer, you can send out reminder invites to those who have yet to RSVP.

Get Ready

Prior to the Event

After your chef competitors have had some time to look over the competition guidelines, they might have some questions. You can set up a conference call or Google Hangout with the Chef Ann Foundation team for answers. We recommend having this call at least two weeks prior to the event to give your chefs enough time to plan out their recipes.

Thanks to our sponsor Whole Kids Foundation, Chef Ann Foundation will provide a $50 Whole Foods Market gift certificate to each of your competitors to help pay for the food for the event. Email us one month prior to the event and we will send you the gift cards to distribute!

We have Real School Food Aprons for your competitors to wear and a beautiful First Place Recipe award for you to give your competition winner. Contact Chef Ann Foundation at least one month prior to the event and we will send you these goodies!

1

Once your competitors have created their recipes, print out each entry so that you can display them at the event next to the competitors’ serving stations.

2

Print copies of the Real School Food Challenge Judging Sheets for your guests to use while tasting the recipes.

3

One-two days prior to the event, send your guests an email reminding them to attend and letting them know what the evening has in store. Feel free to use this sample email.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for hosting this event on behalf of Chef Ann Foundation. We are truly inspired and invigorated by your support. To show our gratitude, we’d like to send you this hostess gift:

Event Host Gift

This Laguiole knife set comes from France and includes six 9 inch steak knives with inlaid ivory handles.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for hosting this event on behalf of Chef Ann Foundation. We are truly inspired and invigorated by your support. To show our gratitude, we’d like to send you this hostess gift:

Event Host Gift

This Laguiole knife set comes from France and includes six 9 inch steak knives with inlaid ivory handles.

Discover More

Competing

A step-by-step guide for competing in a Real School Food Challenge. The guide provides links to guidelines and resources to help you create your school lunch recipe.

Resources

These tools and resources will help you plan and compete in a Real School Food challenge!

Photo Gallery

Check out Real School Food photos.

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