Chopped It Up

Are you ready to put your culinary skills to the test? Or, will you be chopped from the competition?

Congratulations to all our

Chopped Champions!!

Our Chopped It Up teams battled it out until the very last second, and their hard work paid off tremendously! Through teamwork, skill, and creativity, our student teams created a three-course meal – one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert – for our panel of local celebrity judges, while our cafeteria lead staff helped support our students, and encourage best practices in the kitchen!

At the end of the competition, the teams were ranked, and given their prizes, based on the scorecards:

1st Place: Team Triple Threats

2nd Place: Team Food Court Press

3rd Place: Team Shake and Bakers

4th Place: Team Spice Squad

5th Place: Team Dice and Conquer

Our Chopped Superlatives Awards went to the following teams:

Best Teamwork Award: Team Spice Squad

Best Plate Presentation Award: Team Food Court Press

Most Spirited Award: Team Dice and Conquer

Fan Favorite Award: Team Food Court Press

Thank you to everyone who came out to make this event such a huge success, and for supporting our talented and exceptional students – and young culinarians in the making!

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, Middletown Public Schools, in partnership with its Office of Food, Nutrition and Wellness Services, will host Chopped It Up, a first-of-its-kind event in the District, that will feature student teams competing in a timed cook-off competition, using a mystery variety of locally-grown Connecticut produce and ingredients. This event celebrates CT Grown for CT Kids Week, which spans October 5-9, 2026, and encourages schools to promote healthy and nutritious meals, while also connecting students with local agriculture.

Students from Middletown High School and Beman Middle School will be invited to take part in this competition. Participants will be selected on a lottery basis, and teams will be formed once the participants have been chosen.

Students will have 45 minutes to create a single dish using the mystery selection of produce and ingredients that have been hand-picked for them by our staff. At the conclusion of the competition, a panel of local celebrity judges from the culinary field will taste the student-made dishes, and judge them.

One team will be declared the winner of the competition, with awards to be given to the teams ranked in second and third place. Honorable mentions will be given to teams ranked in fourth and fifth place.

*Admission to this event is free for all attendees.

We encourage all those who would like to attend to donate a nonperishable food item; all items will be collected and donated to support the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown.