Federal foodies face off in the kitchen

By The Federal Eye in Thursday's Post:

A trio of expert foodies agree: There's a Roasted Tomato Curry Coconut Soup With Shrimp and Peas you must try. But it's not on the menus of the District's top restaurants or lunchtime chains; instead it has been served to only a few employees at the Social Security Administration.

Melissa Knoll, 27, of Bethesda is a social science research analyst for SSA during the day, studying the behavioral and psychological reasons why and when people retire. But in her off hours, she's dreaming up recipes in the kitchen, including her soup, which combines a cauliflower curry recipe with a roasted tomato basil brew, she said.

"I kind of just combined the flavors and added the shrimp," Knoll told three "celebrity" judges Tuesday at the first Feds Get Fit Cook-off, organized by the Office of Personnel Management.

The agency launched the Feds Get Fit program in fall to promote healthy living and exercise. OPM Director John Berry granted time off last month for his agency's workers to walk and see the nearby cherry blossoms, and a fitness challenge is planned for September. Similar efforts are underway in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, cities with large pockets of federal workers.

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(Video by Ed O'Keefe/Edited by Jason Aldag)