A strict jury, discerning tasters (the schoolchildren’s parents), nervous colleagues, and just two hours to prepare the perfect school lunch. That’s how the qualifying rounds of the Best School Cook 2025 competition unfolded this summer. Over 270 cooks from across the country competed for the title and the right to advance to the finals. It was more than just a contest. It was a true test of the skills of those whose work determines, day in and day out, whether a school meal will be delicious, nutritious, and safe.
The Best School Cook competition was first held in 2019 as an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the Russian Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI). Quickly becoming a cherished tradition, it now reaches thousands of schoolchildren, parents, and teachers nationwide.
The goal of the competition is simple yet important — to demonstrate that a school cook is not just someone in the kitchen, but a true professional whose work has a direct impact on children’s health and well-being. It also aims to inspire the cooks themselves to reach new professional heights.
This year, the competition has intensified, with interest growing exponentially — nearly 70% of all applicants took part in the qualifying rounds, compared to just 23% last year. So, what happened in the school kitchens, and who excelled? Let’s step behind the scenes of school canteens that temporarily transformed into contest arenas.
Tough test: how provincial rounds unfolded
The qualifying rounds were traditionally held in each province: Chui, Osh, Naryn, Talas, Issyk-Kul, Batken, and Jalal-Abad.
Ahead of the competition start, cooks underwent online training: they watched instructional videos on hygiene and safety, and then completed a knowledge test. This format helped participants refresh their skills in advance, which clearly improved the quality of their work.
The task for participants was to prepare two portions each of a hot first course and a hot main course exactly as prescribed, in 120 minutes. No improvisation was allowed! Only approved recipes from the official School Meals Recipe Book were used (for example, borscht with beans, pea soup, “Friendship” porridge, or fish dymdama).
The jury’s assessment was strict. Every detail mattered: the cleanliness of the uniform and workspace, the correct way to cut vegetables (cutting into sticks or dices was not a matter of preference, but a strict technological requirement), precise cooking times, perfect texture, and, of course, impeccable taste.
Who were the judges?
Professionals: food technologist from the Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI) Azat Borubaev, the Chairman of the Kyrgyzstan Association of Cooks Shukhrat Sharipov.
Inspectors: representatives of district/city education departments.
The public: parents of schoolchildren and representatives of local self-government bodies.
To ensure complete objectivity, all dishes were served with numbers, so the jury had no idea who prepared them.
Parents’ voice: Q&A and tasting
One of the most exciting moments was the lightning round titled “Question from Parents.” Contestants had only 30 seconds to respond! This format showed the cooks’ readiness for open dialogue with the parent community. After that, the parents became the key tasters, sampling the contestants’ dishes and evaluating their flavor, presentation, and quality. This was not a scoring exercise but a step toward building greater trust between schools and families.
Masterclasses from gurus: simple, healthy, delicious!
The competition was a test and a learning opportunity. For school cooks, exchanging experience, discovering new ideas, recipes, and approaches to healthy school meals is essential, especially those that children will happily taste.
During breaks between rounds, renowned chefs Azat Borubaev and Shukhrat Sharipov led masterclasses on preparing creative school dishes. They demonstrated how to turn simple, seasonal local products — pumpkin, marrows, apples, beets, fresh herbs — into true culinary treasures for children’s tables: vibrant salads (Vitamin Salad, apple and vegetable salad, beetroot salad), tender syrniki, unique casseroles, and wholesome pumpkin porridge. Their recipes became ready-to-use solutions for any school canteen.
Mistakes mean progress too
Of course, there were challenges. Some cooks cut vegetables incorrectly, undercooked grains, or mixed up the order of steps. Many relied on memory, forgetting to check the flowcharts.
However, every misstep became an opportunity for open review. After each round, experts analyzed the results, offered recommendations and explanations to boost participants’ professional growth. The cooks gratefully accepted the feedback. That is why the competition can be seen as a snapshot of the real situation. The qualifying rounds helped identify growth areas that both cooks and catering organizers can work on together, so that children’s plates become even tastier and healthier.
School canteen stars: meet the finalists!
And here it is, the long-awaited moment: one finalist from each province has been selected, a cook who demonstrated the finest blend of professionalism, precision, taste, and dedication.
The heroes who will represent their provinces in the final round:
These women have demonstrated their expertise while meeting the highest standards. Now, a new challenge awaits them!
The final is almost here
In November 2025, the Republican Competency Center in Bishkek will host the country’s main culinary showdown of the year. The finalists will face serious trials:
Signature Dish: Create and cook an original but practical dish for a school menu (costing no more than 20 soms per serving, using local ingredients, healthy and delicious!).
Safe Kitchen Quest: Quickly and accurately spot violations of sanitary regulations on a specially equipped training site.
Culinary Battle: In just 30 minutes, prepare a perfect set (salad + drink) according to a given flowchart, paying attention to both flavor and presentation.
The grand prize is a certificate worth 50,000 soms for purchasing equipment for the school canteen. Second and third place winners will also receive valuable certificates (30,000 and 20,000 soms), and all finalists will take home modern blenders.
Conclusion
The Best School Cook is much more than just a competition. It is a powerful recognition of the work of those who stand behind the stoves in school kitchens. It is a strong incentive for professional growth and experience exchange. It builds precious trust between schools and parents, forged through openness and delicious, healthy food on children’s plates. Most importantly, it ensures that school feeding in Kyrgyzstan continues moving towards greater quality, variety, and safety.
Follow the final in November on our website as well as on the School Meals Programme in Kyrgyzstan web portal. We’ll share who takes home the grand prize and the title of Best School Cook 2025!