Florence and Spartanburg County teams will compete at the Texas 4-H National Food Challenge
Cooking is more than preparing food. For young people in South Carolina 4-H, it is a way to build confidence, practice teamwork and develop lifelong skills in nutrition and healthy living. Through the 4-H Healthy Living Team Cooking Challenge, teens gain hands-on experience that prepares them not only for competitions but also for healthier lifestyles and stronger communities.
“We’re proud of these teams having performed so well, using what they learned at the summits and applying it to their summer cooking camps,” said Margaret Condrasky, 4-H healthy lifestyles program specialist at Clemson University. “It’s all part of building culinary and nutrition confidence. It culminates with them representing South Carolina in a national competition.”
How the challenge works
Each year, senior-level 4-H students ages 14 to 18 gather for a cooking summit in Columbia where chefs help them sharpen their skills in food safety, knife handling, station management, flavor pairing and presentation.
After the summit, 4-H agents host county summer cooking camps that put those lessons into practice. Youth work through mise en place and safe food handling, build knife skills, manage their stations and time, and practice teamwork and time use. These camps bridge training and competition, giving students multiple repetitions before the state challenge.
At the 2025 event, held at The Farm at Florence One in Florence, teams had one hour to create a dish that included chicken, a starch (rice or pasta), vegetables and a flavor-enhancing sauce. Teams could not bring recipes but were allowed two notecards of notes. The plates were evaluated for sensor and quality attributes of appearance, aroma, taste and texture.
The process pushes students to think creatively, adapt quickly and work together under pressure, much like they will be asked to do in real-world kitchens and careers.
What the teams accomplished
Florence County’s team, proudly calling themselves “The Florence County Spice Girls” for their love of spices, captured first place with a chicken alfredo garnished with zucchini and carrots. Members Laila Brown, Avery Kirby, Jay Parrott and Ki’Moni Sutton have continued practicing with mystery ingredient challenges from their 4-H agent, Freddricka Presley.
Horry County earned second place at the state competition. While the team is unable to attend the national event, their strong performance highlighted the depth of talent and preparation among South Carolina 4-H members.
Spartanburg County finished third with a chicken stir-fry and will join Florence County at the Texas 4-H National Food Challenge. Team members Ada Jarrett, John Jarrett and Anna Vidrine, led by agent Laura Haddon, have been practicing evenings and weekends with surprise grocery shop exercises to strengthen their creativity and adaptability.
“All three of them are super excited,” Haddon said. “This is the first time that Spartanburg has been able to send a team to this event.”
What’s next
Both Florence and Spartanburg counties will compete in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 30. At the national competition, teams will be assigned a category such as main dish, side dish, appetizer or dessert, along with a key ingredient. With access to a limited “grocery store,” they will have 40 minutes to plan, prepare and present a dish before a panel of judges.
“They’re super-excited,” Presley said of her Florence County group. “For a lot of them, it’s their first time ever going to Texas.”
