Teams of teens from Washington, D.C., and Delaware filled a Whole Foods store in Annapolis, Md., recently in a battle over who could cook up the best pot of chili. The scent of peppers, ginger and cilantro filled the air as the cooks, members of HealthCorps’ Teen Battle Chef program, raced against the clock in the kitchen showdown.

“It’s exciting for us to cook in teams,” Ishante Melson, 14, told reporter Diane M. Rey of The Capital. Melson and her team cooked up a Guatemalan-style chili over yellow rice. “It’s a good experience to learn to cook healthy.”

Keyontae Brown, 18, a member of the wrestling and track team at Laurel High School in Delaware, told Rey that he ate a lot of fast food prior to joining HealthCorps. Not any more, though. “It has changed me a lot,” he said. “I’m more athletic and I have more stamina.”

Keyontae Brown, 18, left, and Kelly Staples, 15, from Laurel High School Delware, cook up their chili for Teen Battle Chef in Annapolis, Md. (Photo by DIANE M. REY, The Capital)