A fourth-grade Riverbank Elementary School student is the winner of the 12th Annual Future Chefs Challenge in Lexington Two.

Katherine Desiderio Garcia’s Mexican Bionico recipe included a variety of fruits like cantaloupe, mango, papaya, strawberries, apple and banana paired with Greek yogurt, granola, coconut, sour cream, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. A panel of judges scored Katherine’s recipe as their favorite from among dishes prepared by finalist 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from district elementary schools.  Recipes, themed for favorite healthy recipes from home, were prepared by students in the commercial kitchen at the Lexington Two Innovation Center.

In addition to Katherine, other Lexington Two finalists and their schools are:

• Cayce Elementary: Jasmine Rascoe
• Congaree Elementary: Haines Lowman
• Riverbank Elementary:  Lillian Gocke-Anderson, Heidi Vande Brake, Benjamin Scurry
• Springdale Elementary: Leah Hoag, Cooper Holcombe, Bennett Ariail, Nazar Zelenskyi, Molly Laird
• Wood Elementary: Landon Broxton

Katherine will now represent Lexington Two at the statewide competition. The district’s 2022 winner, Chandler Dorn, went on to win the 2022 national championship. 

The annual Future Chef Challenge is presented by Sodexo.