Class is in session as four of America's best lunchladies are taken out of the classroom and into our version of the School of Hard Knocks. Only one will graduate with a $10,000 scholarship. The other three... will chop out.
 

Cheryl Barbara New Haven, CT High School in the Community

Rhonda Deloatch New Haven, CT Common Ground HS

Dianne Houlihan Waterford, CT Great Neck ES

Arlene Leggio Islip, NY Islip HS

Tonight's judges are all ambassadors of causes that support combating children's hunger...

- New York restaurant baron Marc Murphy (Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry)
- Star executive chef Amanda Freitag (Edible Schoolyard NYC Partnership)
- White House chef and senior policy advisor Sam Kass (one of First Lady Michelle Obama's leaders in the fight against childhood obesity)

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). The first box of the night has... canned tuna fish, wonton wrappers, spinach, and dill pickles.

And time... starts .... *checks watch*... NOW!

Cheryl: Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Wontons
Rhonda: Deconstructed Tuna Salad Sandwich
Dianne: Goat Cheese and Tuna Beggar's Purse
Arlene: Stuffed Wonton with Tuna Florentine

In addition to the usual three categories, the judges will be thinking about the kids and about nutrition.

Cheryl stuffed her tuna salad into a tomato. The plate is creative enough to get kids to eat their tomatoes, but it needed to be seasoned better. Rhonda's plate lines up with the MyPlate, in that it's heavy on vegetables. Dianne's beggar's purse isn't fried, so that's healthier. Arlene's dish needed a little bit of a vinaigrette, as she said that she blanked on the time.

All four are deserving for their service for kids and country, but in the end, someone has to be chopped in order to get to the final victor. The first chef... to be chopped... is... RHONDA. Her plate was beautiful, but there was no dressing for the salad.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). One down, two to go. Next on the menu... collard greens, chicken breasts, anchovies, and quinoa.

Half an hour to make school lunch happen.

Cheryl: Quinoa-Coated Chicken with Penne Pasta
Dianne: Sesame Crusted Chicken with Quinoa
Arlene: Stuffed Chicken Pinwheel

A big day to day hurdle for the lunchladies is to get kids to try new things. These are about as new as they come. Quinoa is about as flavorless as brown rice, so the ladies will use it as such.

Dianne's chicken looks beautiful, and there's a lot done. Creatively wise, it's a wonderful idea, but it's missing a little bit of salt. Arlene's quinoa is cooked perfectly. The presentation is very sloppy. Cheryl's pasta plate is comfort foods. The quinoa is not successful, as it needed some liquid. Marc likes it, though.

Lunch is almost over, and it's time to send one school chef to detention hall. Spoiler alert... it isn't Dianne. The next chef... to be chopped... is... ARLENE. Time proved to be a factor, and the chicken didn't get a chance to be seared.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). And this is where success pays. Cheryl and Dianne are now one basket away from $10,000. In said basket... sunflower seeds, grapes, cream cheese, and canned pineapple.

Good luck, chefs... and GO!

Cheryl: Sweet Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Dianne: Fresh Fruit Ambrosia with Grilled Pineapple

The overall question, should we be serving dessert in schools? These two have a golden opportunity to create something sweet and actually good for you.

Cheryl's dessert is creatively and texturally superb, BUT the portion is too large. The flavors on Dianne's plate speak tropical and summer, but it didn't need to be overly sweet. The fruit, especially grilled, didn't need an extra honey.

This fight was not a big fight compared to feeding a school full of hungry kids. Both chefs were no slouch about the honor that comes with their titles. Dianne splits the panel on the main, while Cheryl knocked dessert out of the park. Dianne was creative in the starter, but Cheryl had a better tasting one. This is going to be close.

The final chef... to be chopped... is... DIANNE. She had incredible dishes, but there were a few points that just didn't measure up to the standard.

But it's graduation time, and CHERYL BARBARA gets to take the gold star in the form of $10,000. She says she's going to share it with her ladies, who deserve equal recognition for their work on the front lines against childhood eating disorders.

BUT there's one more surprise. The Culinary Institute of America wanted all four chefs to feel like winners and advance their education, so each chef is getting a five-day starter course to hone their skills.

.... AND their kids are waiting in the wings to congratulate them. Can't really get better than that.

So who's next to bring it home? Find out next week when four more chefs compete in three more rounds. One of them will get paid. The others will get... chopped.

To see extras from this episode, or to apply to be a contestant on "Chopped", visit the official website at www.foodnetwork.com/chopped.