First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska served as a jury member for the "Culinary Battles" competition, in which schoolchildren from six regions of Ukraine took part.
The competition aimed to introduce students to culinary professions and highlight opportunities for vocational education in this field.
The finalists were winners of the regional rounds of the competition—8th and 9th-grade students from Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, along with students from vocational and technical education institutions.
Ten teams competed in preparing a main course and dessert, cooking dishes such as paella with turmeric, chicken chili con carne, banana and vanilla pancakes, and citrus cookies. Their culinary skills were judged by a panel that included First Lady Olena Zelenska, Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine Félix Baumann, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, and chef Yevhen Klopotenko.
"It turned out to be very difficult to be a judge because I was rooting for every participant, thrilled to see them so passionate at such a young age," said the First Lady.
She emphasized that the goal of school nutrition reform is to make high-quality, delicious meals the standard in every educational institution across Ukraine.
"I want you and your friends to be excited about getting involved. I want ‘healthy and tasty’ to become a trend – your own trend. Because only quality food gives strength and lifts your mood. Therefore, I am very proud of you that in such a difficult time of our defense, you are learning such important and life-affirming things," Olena Zelenska emphasized.