Better Together's Hands-On Cook-Off Empowers Kids to Advocate for Family Meals

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 15, 2015) -

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Better Together is excited to announce the launch of its sixth annual Hands-on Cook-off Contest today with the support of children, teachers, parents, and celeb chefs across BC, passionate about the benefits of cooking and eating together.

This year's panel of judges represents all of these groups, and includes our youngest judge to date, Liam Lewis of The Little Locavore; the award-winning Chef David Hawksworth; Global TV's Melodie Yong; Sarah Bancroft, Editor-in Chief at Vitamin Daily; and Barb Finley of Project Chef.

Explains Sydney Massey, one of the creators of Better Together and Director of Nutrition Education at the BC Dairy Association: "The Hands-on Cook-off Contest is our fun way to remind families about the benefits of cooking and eating together."

"With our invitation to youth participants, via schools across the province, we hope to empower kids to take an active role in the kitchen, and reap the associated benefits!"

The Hands-on Cook-off Contest was born from research that shows that when families cook and eat together, kids gain many valuable benefits- including better grades in school, better health, improved mental health, and better overall social adaptability. Recent studies indicate that setting aside time to be unplugged during mealtimes- to turn off media like TV, phones, and devices- is incredibly important.

"My mum, nan and uncle cooking in the house was my first influence and I always enjoyed watching and helping them in the kitchen", says contest judge, Chef David Hawksworth, of award-winning Hawksworth Restaurant. "This contest reminds families to set aside the distractions of life - phones, TV, work and stress to prioritize the family meal. The benefits of doing so are invaluable".

Says Liam, The Little Locavore: "As a kid myself, cooking has empowered me to be a more confident person. Actually, I am the one that reminds my parents to cook more and to cook with me at home. I'm excited to see the videos that other kids submit this year!"

Enter the Contest:

From April 15^th until May 15^th any BC resident can enter the Hands-on Cook-off Contest. Simply grab a friend or relative and create a home video cooking show three minutes long or less. Videos must include two or more people preparing a recipe together… and having fun! Full contest details, including sample videos and where to upload, can be found on the contest site: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

Prizes:

Several cash prizes of $1000 and $500 will be awarded in different categories to individuals and schools. Total prizes up for grabs are valued at over $4000. Full prizing details can be found here: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest/page/prizes-awards

Enter the Hands-on Cook-off: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

About Better Together

Better Together, http://bettertogetherbc.ca, is an active online community forum, designed to celebrate family meals, cooking, and trying new recipes. We exist because eating together, whether as a family or other group, offers many health and social benefits for both children and adults- including better nutrition, school performance and social adjustment. Find out more

Twitter: @bettertogether

Facebook: /bettertogetherbc

Pinterest: bbettertogether

#handsoncookoff

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