Main Dish: News of the Day

A Kansas City high school senior is the new "Best Teen Chef 2009". Sammy Jo Claussen beat out 34 other teen chefs in toque-to-toque competition in Charlotte over the weekend. In the finals, a two-hour battle to make the best southern-inspired menu of curly endive salad with bacon and poached egg, oyster stew, and catfish, Claussen's catfish matched her coolness under fire and she captured the top prize: full tuition to study culinary arts at the International Culinary School at The Arts Institute. Read all about it from CNBC.

PHOTO BY TAMMY LJUNGBLAD, Kansas City Star

Tags: news, student chefs, contests

For this Colorado teen in the kitchen, nearly every day is Mother's Day. Josh Bacca, 16, magics up pizza from scratch, chicken alfredo, homemade steak fries and pretty much anything else his family requests for dinner. On the menu for Mother's Day, Texas cheeseburgers, poblanos and all. Read all about it in the Longmont Times-Call.

PHOTO BY JOSHUA BUCK, Times-Call

Tags: news, student chefs

School food goes from "nasty" to innovative in Baltimore, where a tireless chef-turned-administrator has launched a campaign for flavorful, fresh fare for all 83,000 students in the public school system. He's tucking student-run farms behind strip malls and plans for student-run restaurants to serve up the produce. Read all about it in the Washington Post.

Tags: news, student chefs, high school, gardens

Tired of mowing the lawn for your parents? Maybe you can convince them to ditch the grass for an all-you-can-eat buffet for the neighborhood. That's what many Los Angeles families are doing, turning their front lawns on city streets into urban gardens that the whole neighborhood can tend - and, later, can eat. Read all about it in the Los Angeles Times.

Tags: news

Chicago teen chefs are whipping up and serving a batch of sexy school food in Washington, D.C., today in the hopes of convincing legislators to hike the federal allocation for school lunch. On the menu, carrot quesadillas, chicken-stuffed peppers and more. Read all about it in the Washington Post.

Tags: news, student chefs, high school