A highlight of the summit was a discussion with White House Assistant Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass. Kass guided a personal tour of the White House Kitchen Garden, which First Lady Michelle Obama started as part of her Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity. 

The summit ended with a “Top Chef”-style competition, where participants teamed up to create healthy, flavorful meals in the kitchen on Capitol Hill, using ingredients purchased from a local farmers market. The competition was sponsored by the National Job Corps Association.

Alaska Job Corps Center Director, Ken Northamer said, “Margie is a wonderful Chef and she cares about the food she prepares for our students. This isn’t the first time she has won a national competition and it surely won’t be the last.” 

“Job Corps chefs have an important responsibility to provide three nutritious meals a day for 60,000 students and also to teach the healthy lifestyle choices young people can use throughout their lives,” said LaVera Leonard, President of the NJCA. “Job Corps is committed to helping young people learn the lifestyle skills and career training they need to be healthy, well-rounded, active economic contributors to their communities.” 

Alaska Job Corps Center is one of 124 centers in Job Corps, a unique national residential program that provides a safe environment for unemployed, undereducated, low-income youth to prepare for successful careers or further education.

The Alaska Job Corps Center is operated by Chugach Alaska Corporation, in Palmer, Alaska.  Two hundred and fifty students train year-round in eleven different areas, including Culinary Arts.  All training areas are aligned with industry standards.