HISD students face off in head-to-head culinary challenge

HOUSTON – It's a head-to-head challenge against their peers. Students from the Houston Independent School District are battling it out in the kitchen, seeing who can create the healthiest, most delicious school lunch.

Seven teams from HISD schools battled it out Saturday during a challenge at Rice University. Students from Barbara Jordan High School, Davis High School, Harper Alternative School and Westside High School competed in the Healthy Schools Campaign Cooking Up Change program.

The meals were judged by HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier, chef Mark Cornish of NRG Park (formerly Reliant Park), and chef Christine Ha, who won season three of Fox's "MasterChef."

Westside High School took home the honors from the competition with their Lonestar Chicken Chili Sub.

The students from the winning school will get an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national finals against other school districts from around the country. The cooking champs will also have their new menu added to HISD's lunch program during the 2014-15 school year.