July 24, 2026, 9:33 p.m. ET
PATERSON — With chef hats perched atop their heads and aprons around their waists, more than a dozen youngsters diligently mashed ripe avocados into guacamole, used plastic knives to slice vegetables into bite-sized pieces, folded tortillas around grilled chicken, and experimented with different sauces to try to impress the judges.
For many of the participants, it was their first opportunity to prepare a meal from scratch. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or another processed snack, they learned how a handful of fresh ingredients could become a colorful, nutritious dish which they could recreate at home with their families.
These kids were participants in a cooking competition at the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic on Thursday, July 23.
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As part of the event, Stop & Shop presented the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic with a $50,000 donation to support its Snack Shack program, which is designed to provide healthy snacks and nutrition education for more than 1,000 children in the program.
“The idea is that kids get nutritious food, whether they’re leaving school or whether it’s in the summer when they don’t have the opportunity to get the lunch they get at school,” said Daniel Wolk, Stop & Shop’s community relations manager.
The judges evaluated each team’s dishes based on taste, creativity, and presentation, but they agreed the day’s biggest success had little to do with determining a winner. Instead, they hoped every child would leave with greater confidence in the kitchen and a better understanding of healthy eating.
Wolk said providing the food is only part of the solution. “We want to give them as many resources as possible so they can purchase healthy food, but also learn how to cook it and understand what’s healthy,” he said.
Access to food plus education for healthy habits
Stop & Shop dietitian Tina McGeough, who has worked in nutrition for more than two decades, said education must accompany access to food if children are going to develop lifelong healthy habits.
“We know that food insecurity is a problem around the tri-state area,” McGeough said. “When children live in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, that impacts their ability to be the best they can be academically or even in sports. It’s central to daily life.”
Wolk said the need has never been greater.
“Hunger is worse now than it was during the COVID pandemic,” he said. “Parents have to make a decision if they’re going to be able to keep the lights on at their house or if they’re going to be able to afford food for their children.”
For the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic, those challenges are familiar.
Chief Development Officer Vanessa Bazydlo said many of the organization’s members come from households facing financial hardships, making programs like Snack Shack especially important.
“We have a lot of families of single-income households,” Bazydlo said. “The donation is going to our food insecurity efforts. It helps our Healthy Habits program remain sustained, and it helps us purchase snacks and provide the nutritional education they need for their programming.”
She said the Healthy Habits initiative focuses on teaching children how to prepare simple, nutritious, and affordable foods they can recreate at home.
“I hope that they learn how to look for something of nutritional value and take that into their lives in a healthy manner,” Bazydlo said.
Learning to cook with a celebrity chef
Among the judges was celebrity chef Leia Gaccione, a North Jersey native and “Top Chef” alum, who said she was encouraged to see so many young people eager to cook.
“It’s really exciting,” Gaccione said. “I love to see that there are so many young women here cooking.”
Gaccione, who also works with organizations addressing food insecurity, said learning to cook is one of the most valuable skills children can develop.
“I think it’s one of the most important life skills we have,” she said. “To take care of yourself, to nurture yourself, to give yourself the nutrition that your body needs.”
She also hopes the children discovered something equally important.
“I hope the kids take away that cooking is fun, and it’s a fun activity to do together with your family,” she said.
