LA PLATA, Md. — Students from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) recently took their culinary skills to new heights at the NASA Johnson Space Center Food Lab in Houston. Chef Chris Willis, culinary arts instructor at North Point High School, led a team of four students to compete in the Astronaut Culinary Challenge, an elite national competition aimed at developing meals for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
The North Point team was among only 11 international teams selected to participate — 10 from across the United States and one from Germany. Each year, students are tasked with creating new dishes that meet the strict nutritional and preparation standards required for space travel. This year’s theme challenged students to develop a pasta dish that could potentially be launched aboard a SpaceX rocket.
“They worked hard, and we are so proud of this group,” Willis said. “We want to thank our donors, sponsors, CCPS and especially our community.”
Each participating student received a certificate of recognition from NASA. Winners of the competition, including the team whose pasta dish will be featured for sale at the Food Lab, are expected to be announced in May.
NASA’s Astronaut Culinary Challenge, part of the HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) program, is held in partnership with the American Culinary Federation, Sullivan University, World Chefs and the Johnson Space Center Food Lab. Students are judged by NASA Food Lab personnel, industry professionals, the ISS program office and astronauts based on taste, research paper quality and presentation.
The Astronaut Culinary Challenge is a collaboration between NASA’s Johnson Space Center Food Lab, the American Culinary Federation, Sullivan University and World Chefs.
The achievement was announced on the Charles County Public Schools Facebook page on April 25.
Learn more about the competition at nasahunch.com/programs/culinary.
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