CORAL GABLES, Fla. — You’ve heard of a home-cooked meal. What do you call a meal made under tree canopies and on lush campgrounds? The Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida call it “Cast Iron Chef.”

Now in its tenth year, the annual, outdoor cooking contest challenges troops to come up with innovative, impromptu recipes and prepare them at Camp Mahachee in Coral Gables.

Last month, ten teams of Girl Scouts executed their recipes and had their final dishes evaluated by a panel of celebrity chef judges for presentation, creativity and taste. The judges included Chef Brad Delgado, Edysmar Diaz-Cruz, social media editor, Miami New Times, Chef Pepin, chef and media personality, Mike Romeu, founder, Sweet Melody Ice Cream and Gretchen Schmidt, editor, Edible South Florida.

The Sweet S’mores team, comprised of members from Troop 2212 and Troop 347, came out on top. They received the Golden Spoon Award for creating their “Triple Layer Chicken.” True to its name, it was a visual delight of three distinct layers.

“It’s amazing how we won first place, I was not expecting it,” said Troop 2212 Junior Girl Scout, Hannah C. “It was challenging at first, but when we worked as a team and used some new techniques we learned in the morning, we succeeded.”

For more information about the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida, visit www.girlscoutsfl.org.

Cooking with creativity: Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida mix camping, cuisine

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Mayte Padron