Six teams of high school teen chefs descended on Washington, D.C., last week to determine which could concoct the tastiest healthy school lunch – for under a dollar a serving. The teens had already captured regional competitions in the national Cooking Up Change to earn them a spot to compete in the finals.

This was no mystery meat the teens created. Instead they brought their A-game: Caribbean-inspired beef rib salad with Moroccan rice, sweet potato corn bread muffins, Afro-Caribe Plancha, pulled chicken barbecue sandwich, baked sweet potato fries and yogurt-fruit parfait were all among the dishes served. When the day was done, Alexus Baldwin, Leoniqua Jackson and Denver Singletary from Jacksonville, Fla., took first.

Cooking Up Change first-place winners, from left, Alexus Baldwin, Leoniqua Jackson and Denver Singletary, prepared Caribbean-inspired beef rib salad with Moroccan rice and a sweet potato corn bread muffin. (Photo by HEALTHY SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN)