On September 27, the canteen of the Yuri Gagarin School in Dushanbe will host the grand finale of the Best School Cook 2025 national competition, where nine finalists will compete for the title. This year, the competition has expanded its reach: for the first time, not only cooks from rural schools participating in the UN WFP School Feeding Programme, but also their colleagues from major cities — Dushanbe, Khujand, and Bokhtar — will compete for the honor. Their main task is to prove that healthy school meals can be delicious, affordable, and nutritious.
The event, organized by the UN World Food Programme and SIFI, with support from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, crowns a large-scale selection process held across the country. Over the summer, more than 55 school cooks showcased their skills, with only nine making it to the final round.
The finalists now face a serious test: in just 90 minutes, they must prepare a complete set menu — a hot dish, a salad, a drink, and a pastry — all in real time. The exact menu will be revealed on the day of the competition through a random draw. At the same time, the jury will evaluate each cook’s “home assignment”: a signature dish created under strict conditions, including a budget of no more than 7 somoni per portion and the use of only locally sourced ingredients.
“This is more than just a contest. It is a platform for exchanging knowledge and ideas on how to feed schoolchildren healthy and tasty, even within a limited budget,” the organizers note. “We see tremendous progress and enthusiasm among the cooks, who are eager to learn new approaches and rethink traditional menus.”
Guests of the final will enjoy a rich program. While the cooks work in the kitchen, popular Tajik food blogger Shamsiddin Nasriddinov will host a culinary masterclass, sharing tips on how to prepare simple and healthy snacks for schoolchildren. Visitors will also be able to take part in the interactive activity called Making a Healthy Breakfast for a Child and test their knowledge in a quiz on healthy eating.
A highlight of this year’s competition is the new Children’s Choice category. For the first time, children, not the adult jury, will taste all the dishes and select their favorite. The winner of this special nomination will receive a separate prize, regardless of the overall competition results.
The winners will be awarded valuable prizes, including certificates for household appliances, sets of professional cookware for school canteens, and, of course, the title of Best School Cook 2025 along with the symbolic Golden Spoon perpetual trophy.
The competition is part of Tajikistan’s School Feeding Programme. Its mission is to strengthen the professional skills of school cooks, introduce them to modern approaches to nutrition, and promote healthy and balanced diets among children and their families.