Welcome to the AFCC!
We’re so excited that you are interested in our Arkansas Food Cart Conference!
The AFCC will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at the A-State Reng Student Union.
The goal of this event is to teach students the importance of making healthy food choices as well as making smart financial decisions.
What to expect on the day of the event
On the day of the AFCC, students get to participate in 3 workshops/“hands-on” activities led by our college students. These workshops are designed to foster critical thinking, communication, team building and problem solving.
The only cost for this event will be the cost of lunch in our buffet-style Acansa Dining Hall - this is a rate of $8 per person.
In addition to the workshops, the top contenders of the Food Cart competition will bring in their food item and do a live demonstration on how they prepare their food item in front of our expert judges.
We have also provided a food truck template that teams can decorate and cut out to be displayed on the day of the conference.
Food Cart Competition
As mentioned above, in addition to the conference, we will be having a Food Cart competition. This competition is designed to help students understand more about nutrition, financial decisions, and how to think critically and best use their skills.
Submission Items:
Teachers will turn in the following items for each team (examples are provided).
- Written business plan - this is a one page business plan that discusses the team’s healthy food cart
- Attached are questions that students should answer in their business plan.
- Logo - each team will design their own logo for their healthy food cart
- Menu - each team will design their menu with the product, price, and nutritional information for their Food Cart item
- Demonstration video - each team will submit a video (less than 10 min) where team members discuss the ingredients for their product, how they made their product, and why their product is healthy or healthier than an alternative. Think of it like they're filming a Food Network TV show.
Disclaimer: Students should be supervised by an adult at all times when they are handling any sharp kitchen utensils or any kitchen equipment.
Competition Rules
- The competitors can be individuals or teams of up to 5 students
- The food should be “healthy” or a “healthier alternative”
- Finalists who will present on March 12th, the food needs to be able to be stored at room temperature since we will not have refrigeration available
- Finalists who will present on March 12th will need to bring enough food for 5 samples
Registration Forms / Deadlines
Teacher Registration, Competitor Registration, and Non-Competing Student Registrations are all due by 5pm on Friday, March 1, 2024. If you have any problems with the form, please email Melanie Ricker.
We will notify the top 5 teams in each grade category (3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade) by March 6.
These 10 teams will need to bring their food to the conference on March 12th to do a live version of their demonstration video in front of our expert panel of judges.
We can't wait to see your students' creations!
