The festival culminated in Artek Gastronomic Fair. Young journalists filmed short trailers, while young chefs cooked unusual food. Then the dishes were judged by a jury which included some famous Russian chefs.

The teams were formed from children who enjoy cooking plus young journalists. The festival was held in several stages. During the final stage, the teams were headed by experienced Russian chefs. The entries were assessed by Natalya Nomofilova, Honorary President of the Russian Association of Chefs, and Yevgeni Malyutin, member of the Culinary Council at the National Guild of Chefs.

This event is highly important for children, since the right diet is essential to life, said Natalya Nomofilova. “These teams include future chefs, journalists, teachers, and athletes – experts representing all spheres and professions,” she said. “But all of them must know the basics of proper nutrition. That is why this contest is so useful: here, children learn not just to cook, but to cook healthy food, too. We must care about the health of our nation, which is why we must start introducing these contests from an early age, in kindergartens, for instance. Children must know that food plays a vital role in life.”

Using fruit, various spices and sauces, Artek children made a variety of food for the contest. Members of the jury tasted many delicious, healthy and beautifully designed dishes. The Kiparisny camp’s salad called “Avatar in Artek” won in the Best Dish Prepared with the Help of a Chef category, while the Morskoi camp’s entry called “Morskoi on the Beach” won in the Most Creative Dish category.

The winners said that their dishes were original, and were designed right in the process of cooking. “Our salad has great summer vibes, we used oranges and designed it in an unusual way,” said Alena Tokareva from Volgograd, member of the Kiparisny camp team. “We learned a lot from our chef, especially the unusual, beautiful design that the jury commended. We decorated our dish with fruit and covered it with a dessert bowl placed upside down. I have learned that good food must not just be tasty, but beautifully designed as well.”

Members of the jury also praised the young chefs’ teamwork, creativity and precision. Thus, they awarded three more teams: The Rechnoi camp won in the Most Active Team category, the Khrustalny camp won in the Best Teamwork category, while the Lazurny camp won in the Most Outstanding Team category.

Media teams also presented their works during the final culinary contest. Throughout the entire session, each team was creating its own food trailer (film-like trailer to go with a dish). In this category, the jury awarded the entry of the Yantarny camp. This camp received the  biggest number of votes (likes) for the video of their team preparing the dish in a vote submitted in Artek Media internet group. Young journalists’ videos, photos and coverages will be shown in the camps’ dining rooms.

Holding the Artek Gastronomic Fair may become the camp’s annual event, said Andrei Semyonov, regional manager at Kombinat Doshkolnogo Pitaniya Company at ICC Artek. “I was pleasantly surprised by the children’s eagerness and pleasure in connection with this event,” he said. “It is different from other children’s chef contests. Here we teach children that healthy food can be tasty, beautifully designed and easy to cook. I am sure that such gastronomic fairs will become Artek’s annual event and a long-standing tradition.”