Dream Builders: Arlington Mom, Daughter Win $15,000 Cooking Contest
By Office of Communication
Posted on January 29, 2018, January 29, 2018

Dream Builders is a show on MyArlingtonTV that highlights the ways our community is helping kids dream big, nurture their creativity, polish their skills and develop the tools they need to achieve their American Dream as young adults.

The latest Dream Builders episode focuses on Arlington mother Luciana Malkomes and her daughter Gabby, a 5-year-old student with Down syndrome. In December 2017, they were announced as one of the winners in the Uncle Ben's Beginners Cooking Competition.

Luciana and Gabby won $15,000 for their family and $30,000 for a cafeteria makeover at Gabby's school, Martha Reid Leadership Academy with Mansfield Independent School District in Arlington.

Using Uncle Ben's products for the contest, the winning entry from the mother-daughter team was a recipe for peanut butter rice flan. The purpose of the contest is to promote parents cooking with their children as a means of teaching healthier eating habits for life.

According to Luciana, the cooking contest provided another example of her daughter's ability to bring happiness to others.

"My dream for Gabby is for her to be who she wants to be," Luciana said. "She makes others smile all the time. It's her gift."

The City's Office of Communication develops programming for MyArlingtonTV. Viewers can find MyArlingtonTV programs on the following cable systems: Spectrum Channel 16 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99, and streaming capabilities at https://arlington.hosted.civiclive.com.

All episodes of Dream Builders are also available on the City's YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account.

MyArlingtonTV Links:

Dream Builders, Mansfield ISD
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