By Laura Allen
N.C. Cooperative Extension

Olivia Stirrup, a Rowan County 4-H member and a 5th generation 4-H’er, recently represented North Carolina at the National 4-H Egg Chef Challenge competition. This competition was held during the National Poultry & Egg Conference in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 14-17.

The overall purpose of the Egg Chef Challenge is:

• To develop and demonstrate leadership and communication skills.
• To acquire knowledge of quality standards, size classification, nutritional value, preparation and storage, functional properties, versatility and economic value of eggs.
• To develop creative skills in the preparation, use and serving of eggs.
• To learn to enjoy eggs as food.
• To use sound nutritional knowledge when planning meals.

This competition involved a cooking demonstration utilizing eggs as well as a presentation component to share knowledge of eggs. The overall presentation had to be a maximum of 12 minutes in length. Scoring was based on work technique, food safety, visual appearance of display, presentation delivery, product taste, health of product, and knowledge of eggs and egg nutrition.

Olivia first competed in the Egg Chef Challenge competition during the Rowan 4-H County Activity Day held in April 2023. She qualified to compete at the district level, where she won 1st place at the district competition in June; this qualified her to compete at the state level. In the State Presentations Finals held in July in Raleigh, Olivia once again placed 1st and qualified to compete nationally. She has spent much time planning and preparing for this contest.

At the national competition, Olivia placed third in the nation, winning a pin and $175. During the competition, she demonstrated her recipe “Scrambled Eggs with a Twist” which included a secret ingredient. This is a recipe that she learned during her involvement in the Rowan Rolling Pins 4-H Club.

Though this national level competition involved a lot of work, it also involved learning about the poultry industry and exploring Louisville. The conference included a poultry opportunities workshop, tours of Louisville Slugger and the Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs, and a bowling social where all poultry competitors could meet.

Congratulations to Olivia on a job well done!

4-H is the youth development component of Cooperative Extension. Any youths ages 5-18 (as of Jan. 1) are invited to enroll and participate in 4-H. Visit us at 2727-A Old Concord Road Salisbury, NC 28146 or rowan.ces.ncsu.edu. For questions or more information, contact 704-216-8970 or laura_allen@ncsu.edu. You can also follow Rowan County 4-H Program on Facebook, @Rowan4h on Twitter, or rowan_4h on Instagram.

Laura Allen is the 4-H agent with the Rowan County Extension.