GROVE CITY — You can call Hannah Foley, “H to the F.”

Michelle Obama does.

Hannah, an 11-year-old Grove City girl, lunched at the same table as the first lady on Friday, after having been selected as one of 53 nationwide winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a recipe contest that is part of the “Let’s Move!” campaign to battle childhood obesity.

“If you eat healthier, you can do better in school,” said the spunky soon-to-be sixth grader, whose winning entry was a seafood taco with lime coleslaw and peachy salsa.

Hannah’s mother, Amy Foley, said the family learned about the contest, open to children ages 8 to 12, in March from an e-mailed update of events at the White House.

“Hannah has always loved to cook and watch the Food Network,” Foley said. “That’s just what she wants to do.”

Hannah says she has a soft spot for baking. But the contest called for entries that are healthy, affordable, taste good and use the “MyPlate” guidelines. MyPlate is the nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture that replaced the familiar Pyramid guide in 2011.

“Hannah was thinking about salmon first ... then tilapia and grilled shrimp,” Foley said, noting that her daughter is familiar in the kitchen, often helping prepare meals.

In April, Hannah was notified that she was among 1,500 semifinalists. The contestants were judged based on a photograph of the finished dish, an essay and the recipe. Up to three entries were picked from each state and prepared by chefs including some from the White House and sponsor Epicurious food magazine.

In June, Hannah learned she was the Pennsylvania winner.

Hannah’s father, David, and her 13-year-old sister, Abigail, toured Washington while Amy and Hannah attended the White House festivities. Hannah’s brother, 16-year-old Ethan, spent the weekend at Camp Lutherlyn.

Although the weekend’s events included private tours of the Smithsonian and a community service project, Hannah says the highlight was meeting the first lady.

Michelle Obama met privately with each child before the meal, officially termed a “state dinner” even though it was at lunch time.

“I was speechless,” Amy said of the private meeting. “She is an incredibly kind woman. Attentive and really and truly into what the kids were saying.”

When Hannah’s name was announced, Obama quickly greeted her with a line from the essay Hannah had written in which she said she someday wanted a cooking show called, “H to the F to the Hannah Foley chef.”

Later, Obama again quoted Hannah’s essay when giving a speech to the media as part of the event.

Then Hannah — wearing the special dress she’d picked for Easter — took her seat at the dinner table, next to the first lady.

“I was nervous. She asked, ‘How’s your summer going?’ I told her that I’m on a swim team, and I have tons of sleep overs with my friends,” Hannah said.

The menu was three courses from the children’s winning recipes. Hannah got Obama’s autograph on her menu.

“She talked to the kids for an hour straight,” Amy said.

Although President Barack Obama did not dine with the group, he did visit and say a few words.

Then the group made its way to the garden on the White House’s south lawn, where Hannah fielded questions from the media.

“The garden was huge, and they had everything you could imagine in the garden. It smelled really good in the garden. It smelled fresh ... like vegetables,” said Hannah, who picks broccoli as her favorite veggie. “I love vegetables.”

Amy said, “It was surreal standing in the White House garden.”

In addition to Michelle Obama, Hannah said she met two girls, one from Oregon and another from Maine, who she quickly bonded with and plans to see again some day. And as for her friends back home, Hannah can’t wait to tell them about her summer vacation.

“They’re going to be really excited.”

Hannah will go to the Middle School this year where she also plays piano and trumpet. She’ll start tuba lessons this fall and she swims on a team with the YMCA. She counts reading among her hobbies and ... of course, cooking.

“I think it is important to stay healthy and do well in school,” Hannah said.