It seems school lunches always have earned their share of criticism – probably rightly so. So 23 middle school and 12 high school teams, each with 5 students, took culinary matters into their own hands. Vermont’s first Jr. Iron Chefs competition, held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, offered students the chance to prepare their ideas of what could make school lunches more edible and acceptable, said the Burlington Free Press. Recipes were judged on taste, use of Vermont products, and the ability to be replicated for mass consumption. Recipes will be included in a cookbook and maybe even served at their schools. Whittingham’s Twin Valley Middle School’s vegetarian chili won Best in Show. Maybe Taylor Molander, 14, best expressed the proof of putting your appetite where your mouth is: "every time we practiced we’d pig out on it later."