The Food Education Fund and Colavita are running their 8th Annual Culinary Challenge on April 30, 2026, at Platform by the James Beard Foundation in New York. High school teams from Food and Finance High School and Francis Lewis High School will cook in front of Amanda Freitag, Jassimran Singh, Calvin Eng, and James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach. The winning pair walks with $2,500 each and an all-expense culinary immersion through Italy.
This year FEF paired finalists with former Colavita Challenge winners now working in top NYC kitchens—Chef Anthony Trabasas (sous at Cove, 2021 champ), Chef Citlaly Hernandez (sous at K'Far, 2019 winner), and Chef Jade Atkins (pastry cook at Madea, 2021 winner). It's a mentorship loop that turns yesterday's students into today's guides, and Giovanni Colavita, CEO of Colavita, says it's the highlight of his calendar. "We are creating a legacy of excellence," he told us. "Watching these students evolve from young enthusiasts into confident creators" while cooking with Colavita's pantry staples is the point.
Judges score on taste, presentation, creativity, ingredient usage, timing, and sanitation. Winners announced by 6:45 PM. The stakes matter because FEF operates in underserved NYC public high schools, placing students in internships and hands-on training that lead to sustainable culinary careers—not just participation ribbons.
For an industry perpetually short on trained talent, programs like this are workforce infrastructure dressed as competition. Colavita gets brand halo and pipeline access; students get scholarships, mentorship, and a trip that opens doors. It's a trade everyone should watch more closely.
