In focus: Award-winning Chehalis child chef ready for his closeup as national voting nears

Orin Smith Elementary School fourth-grader Kason Talanoa recorded a video on Thursday as the national voting nears for the Orin Smith Elementary School fourth-grader Kason Talanoa.

Kason and his elote recipe qualified by placing first in the local Chehalis School District Future Chefs competition in March. He was selected as one of 40 regional finalists before being chosen from that pool of competitors.

The public is invited to help choose the national winner by voting online between Monday, May 6 and Friday, May 17.

“Each finalist has submitted a video of them preparing their dish and the public is being asked to cast their vote for their favorite,” Sodexo said.

To view the finalists’ videos and to vote, visit https://futurechefschallenge.com/ .

This year, 34 Chehalis elementary school students submitted healthy recipes inspired by their favorite lunch meals, and eight were selected to participate in the district-wide finals event. Finalists had two hours to prepare and present their creations before being assessed on criteria including originality, taste, kid friendliness and use of healthy ingredients.