LEWISTON — They were, at first, more focused on neatly pinching and rolling little half-ounce meatballs with diced onion and fresh green basil than talking smack.

But make no mistake, they were cooking to win.

“I’m a competitive person,” said Ryan Marley, 14, as he, Everline Niragira, 17, and Mohamed Abdullahi, 18, worked under Bates College executive chef Owen Keene, crafting their entry for Sunday’s inaugural Central Maine Meatball Challenge at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center.

Other competitors’ recipes included applesauce, crushed cornflakes and smoked paprika.

These three were classic Italian.

“I just hope we win,” Niragira said.

The stakes are, all things meatly considered, pretty high.

The winner will be announced Monday, on National Meatball Day.

And their dish will be on the DaVinci’s menu a week after that.

The event, organized by Double Z Land & Livestock in Turner, is a fundraiser for the Nutrition Center where Marley, Niragira and Abdullahi participate in the new Youth Powered Cooking program.

For $5 at noon on Sunday, attendees will sample seven different meatballs, then vote by leaving behind one of two forks.

The most forks wins. 

Mia Poliquin Pross, the Nutrition Center’s operations manager, said the competition links the six kids in the program with community mentors — Keene and Chef Anthony Scherrer of Martindale Country Club — and, by working with a local farm, offers a lesson on where food comes from.

“It seemed like something too good to pass up,” Pross said. “It really tied all the pieces together, the food and engagement.”

It’s also a chance, she said, to get new people in the door at 208 Bates St. to learn about the center.

In addition to the two entries from student teams, other meatballs are coming from amateur chefs from South Paris, Portland and Augusta.

Double Z co-owner Chris Abbruzzese said the farm supports the program’s mission and was looking for a fun winter diversion. He’d been involved in a Boston-area meatball contest that grew out of competition with friends and family.

“I’ve won two years in a row; it was pretty competitive — and I lost last year to my mother,” he said, laughing.

During this week’s prep, Keene offered pointers, such as keeping the meatballs the same size so they’d cook more consistently. He offered to bring a little pesto sauce on Sunday, “maybe a little shredded cheese to kick it up.”

As they pinched and rolled, Abdullahi said he’d originally gotten involved with the program so he could know how to cook once he’s on his own. Marley liked the idea of learning to work and communicate with others.

“I needed to learn how to cook American food; that’s why I joined,” said Niragira, originally from Tanzania. She’s been in Maine three years. “I only know how to cook my type of food.”

All three will be serving and sampling on Sunday.

“It’s good to know how our competitors’ meatballs taste,” Abdullahi said. “After that, we’ll taste ours and we’ll know whose is best.”

The prizes for winning include Best Meatball bragging rights, $100 cash, a $50 Double Z gift certificate and a featured spot on the DaVinci’s menu on March 18.

Abbruzzese hopes to make it an annual event.

“My mother asked if she could participate,” he said. “I told her no, but she’s still going to come.”

She’ll be eating and voting only.

[email protected]