Everyone loves a good meal, and that’s just what the Harlan County High School Junior Chefs whipped up recently to rank among the best in the state. The HCHS Junior Chef team of Victoria Adams and Kaydie Coots placed third in the Kentucky Farm to School Junior Chef state competition held in August at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.
Due to COVID last year, the competition was canceled, but this year they were able to compete, but district and regional competitions were not held this year, so the final teams to compete at state were chosen based on their recipe submissions. The recipes had to meet criteria, which included nutritional guidelines for school meals.
The first round of this year’s competition was based on an overall score during the first cooking round. The top four teams scores were able to advance and compete for a chance to win a scholarship. HCHS placed third and both team members received a $4,000 scholarship from Sullivan University. 
Their dish included Harlan Monte Cristo with a donut ham and cheese sweet potato chips and cole slaw.
“It was great,” said Coots, a freshman at HCHS. “I had loads of fun and getting the scholarship money was amazing. I will be doing it again next year.”
“I’ve always loved to cook,” added Adams, a junior. “My earliest memories are of me and my grandmother. It was also a fantastic scholarship opportunity. We were definitely nervous. There was also a sense of confidence. Leilani was confident in our abilities and was excited for us to showcase our skills.”
The HCHS team began with four members, then dropped to three and then two. Coots and Adams were able to overcome the changes and create a winning dish under deadline pressure.
“To say I am proud of Victoria and Kaydie’s performance at competition is an understatement,” said HCHS coach Leilani Kelly. “This year’s recipe consisted of multiple recipes to create the final dish. With that being said, we had planned and practiced the recipe and plating with four members…then three…then a week before competition we were down to two. Victoria and Kaydie did not let adversity hold them back from an opportunity to win a scholarship — they were willing to do what they needed to do to be able to compete and adapt to the last-minute changes that had to be made. All I can ask is they have fun and do their best so they can enjoy the experience and learn from it.”