San Francisco-based chef, author and TV personality Joey Altman will be a celebrity judge at an "Iron Chef"-style competition at Visitacion Valley Middle School. The competition is being hosted by Real Options for City Kids, a nonprofit that works with at-risk children. The competition will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. today.

What made you want to be a judge for this competition?

I wanted to contribute something and this resonated with my values. This is very positive and progressive.

How important is something like this for the children involved?

The kids learn to think about food as something you make, not unwrap. In some cases, these kids lack a positive role model and this is a fun, competitive program where kids can really learn some good skills.

Give us an example of something you might teach the kids?

I have shown kids how to make ice cream in the past. You put chocolate milk in a bag and then place that bag in another bag with ice and salt. The kids throw the bag around and by the time it comes back to the first kid it has turned from chocolate milk to chocolate ice cream. This shows them that it’s easy to make something delicious and fun.