MILWAUKEE — Two junior chefs from Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the winners of a White House contest that challenged kids between the ages of 8 to 12 to create healthy lunchtime recipes.

Liam Kivirist, 11, of Browntown, Wis., and Kaitlyn Kirchner, 9, of Madelia, will join the other winners July 9 at a Kids’ State Dinner at the White House. First lady Michelle Obama will host the event, which will include samples of some of the 54 winning recipes.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Kaitlyn said by telephone Sunday. “I never thought I would go to the White House.”

Kaitlyn submitted a garden stir fry featuring vegetables she and her family grow in their garden, including carrots, broccoli, yellow summer squash, sugar snap peas and red bell peppers.

This is the second year the White House has sponsored the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The rules are simple: Entries have to represent each of the food groups, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy foods. Fruits and vegetables have to comprise about half the plate.