ANASTASIA


    "You all have to strictly stick to the ingredients you locally source from this farm," the speaker said, his eyes going over our heads as he further addressed. He paused briefly to allowing his words to sink in before continuing.


    "Please, for your sake, stick to these rules," he warned subtly.


    "So the


    the judges will be evaluating each creation based on your creativity, taste, presentation, and how well you are able to incorporate the farm-fresh ingredients into your creations." The man winked, causing most of us to smile at his frolicking.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "That was a hint so you should know what to really work on with your team to emerge as the winner. Consider carefully how you can best showcase the unique qualities of these local ingredients."


    "Who knows, your team''s creation might not just emerge as the winning recipe but might even be approved as officialpany snacks," his words added to the excitement. The possibility of our creations being adopted by thepany sparked murmurs of enthusiasm among the teams.


    After another long talk about encouragement, touching on the importance of teamwork and innovation, he hedged us on. "You may now begin," he announced, stepping back to give us ess to the ingredients.


    Each team immediately got to work, going straight to whispered discussions on what snack they''d like to


    create.


    Gathered around a wooden table with my two colleagues that made up my team for the farm-to-table challenge, we brainstormed on what type of snack we should go for. Every member of the team voiced their opinions and suggestions and we all ruminated on a way tobine all of our ideas into something great. We considered various options and weighed the pros and cons of different approaches. "A healthy snack that would highlight the freshness of the ingredients, I murmured aloud.


    The anticipation of the farm-to-table challenge filled the room as everyone got busy. A team had already even started their cooking, the sounds and smells of food preparation beginning to fill the air. We surveyed the colorful array of farm-fresh produce in front of us. My eyes lit up as an idea sparked in my mind.


    "How about a vibrant vegetable and hummus tter?" proposed, gesturing to the assortment of tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. My teammates nodded in agreement and with smiles on their faces, I could tell that they were already envisioning how to elevate the nutritious snack idea.


    "We will need more ingredients," one of my teammates suggested, looking thoughtfully at our initial selection.


    "What and what would we need and how much?" Another asked.


    Then we made a n of what ingredients we would need for whatever we were going to make. We even got more ingredients in case we had an idea of something else after we had started making the snack. We assigned to each one of us what ingredient we would get. Then we made several trips to the farm and brought the ingredients to the table where we were going to make the snacks.


    As each member of the different teams made their way to the farm, I could see clearly the excitement in their movements and their high pitched tone as they discussed which ingredient would be best and which there was a limited amount of.


    When we had decided on all the Ingredients we needed, and might need, we got to work.


    In the process, one of my team members suggested adding homemade whole grain pita chips seasoned with herbs from the garden for a crunchy twist.


    "That is a very nice idea," I replied. "We will make it hard for them to be able to tell the best snack from the rest of the team."


    The othersughed as the one that suggested the idea of the chips exined how it would be made.


    For the vegetable and hummus tter, we chose a variety of colorful vegetables to make the tter visually appealing since that was important. Then we decided on a theme to guide your vegetable and topping choices.


    Then we sprang into action, chopping, slicing, and seasoning with precision, each of us contributing our skills and ideas to bring the idea to life.


    We prepared the vegetables, washed, peeled, and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. I took it upon myself to ce the vegetables on arge tter in a visually appealing way, taking my time. Next, my teammate added the hummus. She ced it in a central location on the tter.


    She looked up at us for our opinions. We decided that it would be better if we drizzled it artfully around the vegetables. Then we garnished it with fresh herbs for added vor and color.


    After we were done, our third team member, proposed a herb-infused yogurt dip to apany the vegetable tter.