Debi Bray, Cafeteria Assistant from Rockdale County Public Schools, beat out colleagues in her district in the Ga. School Nutrition Assn.'s 8th annual State Culinary Competition March 22 at LeCordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Tucker to be selected as one of 30 school nutrition professionals from across the state to compete in the final round in April. Recipes had to appeal to student pallets, reflect new nutrition standards and include locally grown fruits or vegetables. Here is her winning recipe:

Creamed Corn

3 slices cooked bacon - crumbled
1 - 16 oz. package of frozen corn
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ cup of whipping cream
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet. Add corn to skillet with bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle corn starch and sugar over corn then stir in whipping cream. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and sprinkle crumbled bacon and green onions over corn mixture. Serve immediately