April 20, 2022

HOUSTON - The Hewitt-Trussville High School Culinary Academy recently returned from NASA Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston after competing as one of ten national finalists in the annual NASA HUNCH Competition. Madison McGee, Zoe Walker, Kaysia Beverly, Mathew Helms, and Jordan Cummings competed at the national level under the direction of Culinary Academy Director Chef Anna Hallman. The team's challenge? Create a dish that meets strict nutritional guidelines for consumption by astronauts in space. Results from this annual competition will come in early May. According to Chef Hallman, students also wanted to prepare something comforting as this would be a quarantine meal eaten by the astronauts before flight. As high school students recently impacted by having to be quarantined due to COVID, they knew exactly what they would want as a meal for this scenario. They prepared a healthy version of fried chicken fingers that were purported to taste similar to those from Chick-fil-A, mac and cheese made healthy by using a combination of cheese and pureed carrots, and for dessert a frozen apple pie yogurt with a granola “crust." This is the third-time Hewitt-Trussville High School has earned a spot in this national competition.