Everyone wins when you combine great kids with fun and fresh produce! Put your skills to the test in the Kids Cooking Challenge, which kicks off with the Mystery Ingredient pick-up on November 12th. GROW provides the opportunity for kids to get creative in the kitchen for a chance to claim the title of Kids Cooking Challenge Champ. Pick up your mystery produce, create an original recipe with the items inside, take pictures of your final dish, and submit your recipe and photos online.
To enter the Kids Cooking Challenge
simply follow these steps:
1. Fill out the entry form. The deadline to enter is noon November 9th.
2. Entry is "pay what you are able." Follow this link to contribute.
3. Pick up your Mystery Produce Ingredient bag with curbside pick up at our green house, 624 Vine Street, La Crosse from 3 to 6pm on November 12th.
4. Create an original recipe with the ingredients following the rules below.
5. Submit pictures of your dish and your final recipe by midnight on November 15th.
6. Winners will be announced November 19th.
Mystery Produce Categories:
- Beginner Ingredients: This Mystery Produce will include easy-to-use ingredients, as well as recipe ideas. This is ideal for a fun and simple experience!
- Advanced Ingredients: This Mystery Produce will include diverse ingredients that will take some thinking to create a recipe. This is ideal for kids that are experienced and want to be more challenged!
Event Rules:
You must use a portion of ALL of the mystery ingredients.
You are allowed to use up to FIVE outside ingredients that are not included in your mystery ingredients (salt and pepper are considered flavor enhancers thus are not included in the 5 extra ingredients. Oils, fats, etc. are included in the five extra ingredients). Get creative!
Terms and Conditions:
• Submit up to 5 pictures on the submission form for your recipe.
• By entering your recipe images into the event, you grant permission to GROW to reproduce the images for the following purposes:
- Inclusion of winning recipe photographs on the GROW website and GROW related social media accounts & marketing. Winners may be credited alongside their work.
- Printing of winning recipe photographs in local media. We ask that the press
credit photographers/winners where the images are used but cannot be held
responsible for errors and omissions.
• No responsibility accepted for lost, delayed, ineligible or fraudulent entries.
• Entries received after the closing date of the competition will not be considered.
• Closing date for signing up is 11:59 pm on November 9th, 2026.
• Closing date for recipe entries is 11:59 pm on November 15th, 2026.
• Event winners will be announced on November 19th, 2026.
• Photos submitted to the event must be taken between November 12th and November 15th, 2026.
• Five grand prize winners will receive a GROW Prize, one in each category.
• Any photo entries must be of your own recipe or participant, or have permission to use the photos submitted.
• All photo entries must include the recipe or participant. Photos may include people.
• If you are under the age of 18 you must have permission to enter the event from your parent or guardian. By submitting an entry for the event, your parent/carer/guardian is deemed to have given such consent and to agree to the use of the entry as described in these terms and conditions.
• The organizers cannot be held responsible for emails that do not arrive due to the entrant’s email security settings or restrictions placed by their Internet service provider.
• Any photo entries must be of your own recipe, the verification process will take place during judging.
• GROW reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions or to cancel, alter or amend the event at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.