Creativity, affordability and healthy living took centre stage as members of the Rose Gardens Parenting Club gathered for a nutritional cook-off at the Kingston Technical High School recently aimed at promoting balanced meals for children, even amid rising food costs and post-hurricane challenges.

The cook-off, held as part of the club’s ongoing parenting and life skills activities, saw parents prepare evening meals they typically serve at home, with a focus on nutrition, portion control and budget management. According to Parenting Club President Tanesia Cole, the initiative was inspired by ongoing discussions within the group about nutrition, home care and healthier ways of raising children.

“What is happening here today is a nutritional cook-off for most of the parents who are in our club,” Cole explained. “They are showing us how they prepare meals at home, meals that we know are nutritious for the kids when they come home in the evening and dinner is being prepared.”

Participants were tasked with preparing meals for two to three households within a modest budget of $1,500. Despite initial concerns about affordability, parents rose to the challenge, producing a variety of dishes using vegetables, protein sources such as fish and chicken, modest portions of starch, and healthy drinks like carrot juice.

For many parents, the experience proved both practical and empowering. Samantha Henry, a member of the Rose Gardens Parenting Club who participated in the cook-off, said the activity encouraged collaboration and creativity.

 “It was fun because cooking is something that I love,” Henry said. “Activities like this bring parents together; we share ingredients, share ideas and push each other out of our comfort zones. Cooking on a budget wasn’t bad at all, because when you’re creative and work with what you already have at home, you can still prepare nutritious meals that your children enjoy.”

Cole noted that the activity was also a response to the economic pressures facing families, particularly following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which had driven up food prices. She highlighted the rising cost of basic seasonings such as escallion, thyme and pepper as a major challenge for household meal preparation.

“Everything is kind of expensive, but we have to take our hands and make fashion,” Cole said, encouraging creativity such as blending and freezing leftover seasonings to reduce waste and stretch food supplies.

A key takeaway from the session, Cole stressed, is the importance of healthy eating habits for children, especially in light of increasing lifestyle-related illnesses.

“We want parents to think health-wise, especially with the kids coming up,” she said. “Less fatty food, fewer unhealthy ingredients, and more creativity in cooking, cheap and clean, but still tasty and different, so the children don’t get bored.”

Project Officer for Rose Gardens, Channalee Wright, who supported the Parenting Club for the initiative, said the cook-off was entirely community-driven and built on the success of a previous competition.

“This was all their idea,” Wright said. “The winners of the last competition wanted other members to get a chance to show off their culinary skills.”

She explained that the cook-off aligns directly with the Parenting Club’s goal of ensuring children receive healthy meals while also teaching parents how to cook nutritiously on a limited budget.

“We know the economic strains within the community,” Wright said. “So, we decided to make it a friendly competition, showing what we can do with the little that we have and still make it nutritious and beneficial for our kids.”

The event also sparked renewed interest in backyard gardening as a sustainable solution to food insecurity. Wright noted that the community’s Environmental Club, in partnership with the Rose Gardens Senior Citizens, already maintains garden plots where crops such as callaloo and cabbage are grown.

“There was a suggestion to encourage parents to also start backyard gardening to make nutritious items more available,” she said, adding that such efforts align with Vision 2030’s focus on growing what you eat and eating what you grow.

As the evening concluded, parents eagerly awaited the tasting and judging of the various dishes, each one different, reflecting the freedom given to participants to be creative.

“We didn’t give them specific meals,” Cole said. “We told them to be very creative and bring across their ideas.”

Wright expressed optimism that the cook-off would leave a lasting impact, empowering parents to make healthier, more sustainable choices for their families long after the competition ended.