"Chopped It Up" Student Cooking Competition

Are you ready to put your culinary skills to the test? Or, will you be chopped from the competition? 

Chopped It Up is a first-of-its-kind event in the District, pitting student teams against one another in a timed cook-off competition, using a mystery variety of locally-grown Connecticut produce and ingredients. Students from Beman Middle School and Middletown High School will be selected to compete, and will work together in a 45-minute competition to create a single dish using the mystery selection of ingredients that have been hand-picked for them by our staff.

At the conclusion of the competition, a panel of local celebrity judges from the culinary field will taste the student-made dishes, and rank them, declaring one team the inaugural Chopped It Up champion. Awards will be given to the teams ranked in second and third place, and honorable mentions will be given to teams ranked in fourth and fifth place.

The event is happening Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 4-6 p.m. at Middletown High School. Ticket information will be provided at a later date. You can visit the District’s website to learn more about the event.

Beman Middle School and Middletown High School students who are interested in taking part in this competition can register online for the event at the following link. Registration forms can be sent to Kashia Diaz, Executive Chef for Middletown Public Schools, by emailing diazk@mpsct.org. Registration closes Friday, September 18, 2026. Participants will be selected on a lottery basis, and teams will be formed once the participants have been chosen.

Get ready to chop it up! Your time starts…NOW!