The Fairchild Challenge educational competition at Fairchild Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd. in Coral Gables, conducted its annual Green Cuisine culinary competition on Feb. 29 where middle and high school student chefs competed to create a new Satellite dish for astronauts in space.
Students were asked to create a global veggie food dish that represents the international crew on board the International Space Station, given the limitations of preparing and storing food in space.
The Dish Du Jour winners based on taste were:
Middle School
First place — Mighty Martian Macaroons by Miami Country Day, and
Second place — Tropical Launch by St. Kevin’s Catholic School.
High School
First place — Pumpkin Curry Soup by MAST @Homestead, and
Second place — Veggie Stuffed Flying Saucers by Archimedean Upper School.
Fairchild currently is partnering with NASA on identifying plants that will grow in space in a limited set of conditions at the International Space Station and later, for long-distance space travel to Mars. Through the Fairchild Challenge, a STEM-based educational competition, hundreds of students and dozens of schools in Miami-Dade are working on the botanical research needed to help NASA identify astro plants.
The students grow their own plants in “food chambers” donated by Fairchild and approved by NASA. They test space conditions through lighting, water and area limitations, all done to simulate how they will grow in space.
