Earlier this month, on July 14, American Samoa’s very own Amelie Chen was one of the 56 winning chefs who had the golden opportunity to attend a Kids’ “State Dinner” hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in Washington DC.
The nine-year-old is a student at Pacific Horizons School who was selected to serve as a healthy food ambassador for the territory after entering a winning submission to the 5th Annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.
One winner was selected from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five territories: Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
In addition to dining with Mrs. Obama, Amelie and the other 55 young chefs had the chance to learn from television personality and member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition — Rachael Ray.
Amelie is the daughter of local business owners Genhall Manu’a and Michelle Chen, who accompanied her on the trip.
Manu’a described his daughter as being ‘very creative’ and told Samoa News before their departure that Amelie had been doing a lot of cooking and baking, helping out in the kitchen at home.
For the Lunchtime Challenge, Amelie incorporated local ingredients like breadfruit and taro into her winning dish. The competition was for kids 8-12 years old, and aimed at promoting cooking and healthy eating among youth. Over 1,200 entries were received.
Participants had to submit an original lunch recipe that is healthy, affordable, and tasty, and met the nutritional requirements as set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Furthermore, the dishes had to be creative and have a story behind it.
Amelie’s winning submission was a dish composed of a taro, breadfruit, and chicken trio with coconut cream.
“We helped her prep it, photograph it, and then she sent the recipe in,” Manu’a explained. Amelie and her family were able to spend some time with Congresswoman Aumua Amata in the Nation’s Capitol during their trip.
“Was excited to spend time with Amelie's parents Genhall Manu’a and Michelle Chen, her sister Angela and brother Victor in our office,” Amata posted on her social media page.
Among other activities in Washington DC, the Chens toured the U.S. Capitol before heading south to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games which are set to run from August 5-20.
“May God bless Amelie and her family and keep them safe as they travel,” Aumua wrote.
Congratulations Amelie. Malo lava!