When 13-year-old Zoe and her teammates first made their salsa recipe, it was too spicy.

Rather than start over, they adjusted the ingredients, tested the recipe again and learned from the experience.

“We learned from our mistakes while doing it,” she said.

That problem-solving paid off June 17 as young chefs from Boys & Girls Clubs across metro Atlanta gathered for the annual Salsa, Salsa competition, a celebration of gardening, healthy living and youth leadership.

Hosted by Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta at the William M. & Betty E. Small Boys & Girls Club, the event challenged youth to create original salsa recipes using ingredients grown in their club gardens. Funded by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, the competition celebrates healthy lifestyles, teamwork and leadership while bringing gardening and nutrition lessons to life.

The Newnan/Howard Warner Clubs took first place, followed by Mimms Club in second and Purpose Built Clubs in third. The winning salsa recipe will be featured later this summer at the winning club’s nearest  Willy’s Mexicana Grill location. More information will be announced via the Metro Atlanta Boys and Girls Club Instagram page. 

Among the competitors was Zoe, a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta whose team developed a salsa recipe featuring charcoal-grilled vegetables and herbs.

“It was actually pretty fun, and it was a cool experience, being that it was my first time gardening,” she said.

The competition marked Zoe’s first experience both gardening and making salsa.

She said the process taught her patience and responsibility.

“I learned that it’s a really, really hard process,” Zoe said. “If you didn’t check on them [peppers] consistently, they would die.”

The annual event is the culmination of weeks of work by club members, who plant, maintain and harvest vegetables and herbs before developing recipes and presentations for judges.

Crystal Burrowes, teen services coordinator of the At-Promise-West club, said youth participants gain much more than cooking skills.

“I see leadership, that’s number one,” Burrowes said. “I see kindness. I see them being able to introduce what it is they’re doing. I see public speaking.”

Burrowes said she has watched participants grow more confident as they explain their recipes and receive positive feedback.

“They planted these plants and these herbs with their hands,” she said. “Now they’re making different ingredients and having a chance to hear multiple people say, ‘Hey, I love your salsa.’”

For Zoe, teamwork proved just as important as gardening.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta President and CEO Libby Saylor Wright said the competition helps youth develop confidence, creativity and communication skills.

“Salsa, Salsa really is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to be creative, to learn, have hands-on activity, build confidence and also show their salesmanship,” Wright said.

Beyond cooking, Wright said gardening teaches youth where food comes from and encourages healthy habits.

“Growing your own food is not only a physically active thing to do, but it’s an emotionally and socially active thing to do,” she said.

The event also highlighted longstanding community partnerships that support Boys & Girls Clubs programming. During the competition, Willy’s Mexicana Grill presented proceeds from its annual fundraiser benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs across metro Atlanta, Athens and Bartow County.

According to Boys & Girls Clubs officials, Willy’s has raised more than $260,000 over the past 11 years, and this year’s campaign, which included support from The Coca-Cola Co., generated $40,950.65.

Joe Ippolito, president of Willy’s Mexicana Grill and competition judge, said featuring the winning recipe in a restaurant is meaningful because it recognizes the hard work of participants.

“I know it’s a big deal for the kids,” Ippolito said. “For the winner to be able to have their winning salsa featured at one of our restaurants.”

As for Zoe, the experience has inspired her to continue gardening and cooking.

“It was fun for my first time, and I would love to try it [cooking and gardening] more,” she said.

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