Registration for the 17th Annual Jr Iron Chef VT is closed.

2025 Event Info

To ensure that Jr Iron Chef VT remains accessible to all Vermont students through team scholarships and registration fees lowered to one-third the true cost of the event, Vermont Afterschool relies on the generous support of our sponsors as well as a suggested admissions fee of $3 per person and $5 per family (paid at the door).

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Jr Iron Chef VT Coordinator Kerrie Mathes.

Timeline

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JR IRON CHEF VT TURNS 17!

The 2025 Jr Iron Chef VT competition will be held March 29, 2025 at the Champlain Valley Exposition Blue Pavilion, at 105 Pearl Street in Essex Junction.

Early Bird Registration Opens ($140/team) – 11/14/24
Regular Registration Opens ($160/team) – 12/20/24
Registration Deadline – 2/14/25
Recipe and Lively Local Deadline – 3/5/25
Parent Permission Form Deadline – 3/5/25
Jr Iron Chef VT! – 3/29/25

Plan Your Trip

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Location
The Champlain Valley Exposition
105 Pearl Street
Essex Junction, Vermont 05452
Directions

Event Schedule
8:45 AM: Team set up begins
9:00 AM: Doors open to public
9:30–11:00 AM: Morning heat competition
11:45–12:15PM: Morning heat awards
12:15 PM: Team set up begins
1:00–2:30 PM: Afternoon heat competition
3:15–3:45 PM: Afternoon heat awards

Concession Stand
Watching a cooking competition is bound to make you hungry! Visit the concession stand to purchase breakfast, lunch, and snack items from our friends at the Mill Market & Deli.

Activity Room

Family-friendly activities for spectators include crepe spinning by Skinny Pancake; a smoothie bike by City Market; seed planting by Vermont Garden Network; a composting activity by CSWD, taste tests by Shelburne Farms; a photo booth by 802 Event Group; sugar on snow and maple popcorn by End O Road Maple, and a mobile dairy experience by New England Dairy.

Team Info & Forms

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COVID Safety Protocols

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We continue to work with the Vermont Department of Health concerning COVID-19 in our community as we get close to our in-person event.

Masks are optional and we respect those who choose to wear a mask. We encourage you to wear a mask if you are immuno-compromised, have a high-risk loved one, or if you just like how you look in a mask. We also reserve the right to change this policy as needed as we approach the event.
We will provide all team members with non-latex gloves to prepare food.
Following CDC guidelines, people may not attend if they are feeling ill, have currently tested positive for COVID-19, are waiting for COVID-19 test results, have COVID-19 symptoms, or have had close contact with a person who has tested positive for or who has symptoms of COVID-19. If you have recently had COVID, we ask that you have two negative antigen tests 24 hours apart, prior to the event.

Judging

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Awards

The following honors will be given in the Morning and Afternoon Award Ceremonies for each age category:

CROWD-PLEASER — This award goes to the team that best incorporates color, texture, and taste for a true crowd-pleaser.
LIVELY LOCAL — This award goes to the team that best highlights Vermont foods.
MISE EN PLACE — (“Everything in its place”) This award goes to the team that shows exemplary teamwork, order, and professionalism.

Judging Criteria

EXECUTION — Clean and presentable uniforms including hard-soled shoes, hats, aprons, and safe food handling practices.
TEAMWORK — Evenly distributed workload, team cohesiveness & communication.
TASTE — Subjective category based on judge’s expertise.
CREATIVITY — Ingenuity of the ingredients used, creative use of ingredients.
LOCAL — Recipe highlights local, seasonal products (only for the Lively Local Award).
COMPLIANCE — Meets all Jr. Iron Chef VT Guidelines and Rules.

Each year, we are fortunate to have volunteer judges from around Vermont that have a wide range of culinary and food expertise.

2025 Judges

Volunteers

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FAQs

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Who can participate?

How are the dishes judged?

What are the registration fees used for?

What if there are too many applications?

How do I find a chef to work with?

Can our adult/chaperone help us cook?

How are the recipes reviewed?

Is there a Cancellation Policy?

Who can participate?

How are the dishes judged?

What are the registration fees used for?

What if there are too many applications?

How do I find a chef to work with?

Can our adult/chaperone help us cook?

How are the recipes reviewed?

Is there a Cancellation Policy?

For more photos and a list of winners and recipes from previous years, please visit our Jr Iron Chef VT archive.

“Because of Jr Iron Chef, I know how to be a good leader.”

Jr Iron Chef VT is a career exploration program and competition that empowers Vermont youth to create locally sourced meals that promote Vermont’s Farm to School efforts.Since 2008, more than 5,000 Vermont middle and high school students on 1,000+ teams have participated in this groundbreaking program. Along the way, they’ve learned how to create and prepare recipes from scratch, built self-confidence, developed teamwork, leadership, and communication skills, learned about local agriculture and nutrition, and established relationships with peers, chefs, mentors, and local farmers. The program culminates one day every March when youth from across the state are brought together to stand side-by-side in an orchestrated frenzy—dicing, grating, and sautéing their way to culinary fame!

Want to know how to start a Jr Iron Chef VT program at your school, but you don’t know where to begin? WE CAN HELP! Please contact Jr Iron Chef VT Coordinator Kerrie Mathes.

Preparations are well underway for the next Jr Iron Chef VT competition. In some districts, Jr Iron Chef VT has become so popular that qualifying competitions are held in the fall to determine who will be among the almost 300 students on the 70 teams participating in our statewide event. Our organizing committee is busy reaching out to new schools, selecting judges, and brainstorming the next great event. We are soliciting financial support to help us usher Jr Iron Chef VT into its second decade.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Jr Iron Chef VT Coordinator Kerrie Mathes.

Your Support Makes Jr Iron Chef VT Possible.

Yes, I want to support Jr Iron Chef VT today!

Vermont Afterschool, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and contributions are tax deductible. Your gift supports our efforts to increase the quality of and access to afterschool and summer programs in Vermont, as well as to empower youth.