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West Philly School Kids Meet Michelle Obama's "Healthy Lunch" Challenge

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some elementary school students from West Philadelphia are hoping to be finalists invited to the White House as part of a healthy lunch recipe challenge.

healthy lunch competition entries
(Photos by Hadas Kuznits)

On Friday, some of their fellow students at Charles Drew Elementary School taste-tested the creations (right).

The cooking class at Drew Elementary created recipes for first lady Michelle Obama's "Healthy Kids Challenge."

Margaret Ferrigno, the nutrition education coordinator through the "Eat Right Now" program, says it certainly was a challenge; the most difficult part of the task was the budget restriction.

"We were trying to get these foods down to $2.43," she said, "but most of that actually goes toward the cafeteria workers' salary, the supplies that the food is served on.  A quarter goes to the milk, some to the juice, so the food is actually being prepared for under 50 cents."

garces hadas
(Chef José Garces)

Luckily, the students had the help of Philadelphia's celebrity chef, José Garces (right).  He decried the high-fat, overprocessed foods being served in many schools.

"If you visit some of the public schools and you see what some of the kids are having," Garces said, "you might be kind of surprised."

Reported by Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio 1060.

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