Summer 2018
Summer Greetings! 
Looking for A Taste of African Heritage classes near you? Check out our class directory to find out when we are coming to your city or town...or sign up to teach a class of your own!
A Taste of African Heritage Updates
Photo: ATOAH instructors Brenda Atchison (far left) and Stephanie Chen (far right) guiding participants preparing the Oldways After Chop Fruit Salad at a Boston Public Market Demonstration this May.

What We've Been Up To

Hope this issue finds everyone enjoying longer days and sunny rays! Since our last issue, we have some BIG news: the A Taste of African Heritage adult curriculum has now been approved for inclusion in the national SNAP-Ed Library! You can see our listing and learn more on the SNAP-Ed Connection site .

In the last three months, we've completed 18 ATOAH class series in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston, Boston, and Atlanta, as well as Gainesville, FL; Columbia, MO; Temple, TX; and Camden, NJ. A huge thanks to all the instructors who devoted their time to teaching in their communities! We'll also be entering into a new partnership with Alcorn State University to help continue to bring ATOAH to Mississippians.

Be sure to check out our newly released 2017 Annual report for some more highlights and milestones of the past year.

At Oldways headquarters, we recently tabled at Union Capital Boston's Resource Fair along with 40 other community organizations to spread the word about A Taste of African Heritage to Roxbury residents. We are looking forward to upcoming series with the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center, Daily Table, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.
Teacher Spotlight
Photo: ATOAH Instructor Denise Gourdine and her class at the Tremont United Methodist Church in Bronx, New York.
Denise Gourdine at Tremont United Methodist Church

Denise Gourdine is one of our new New York City A Taste of African Heritage instructors. She recently taught the series for the Tremont United Methodist Church (TUMC) as part of a partnership with Bronx Health REACH/Institute for Family Health . Bronx Health REACH was formed in 1999 to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes in diabetes and heart disease in African American and Latino communities in the southwest Bronx.

Denise writes:

" My church is participating in Bronx Health REACH’s Creating Healthy Schools & Communities (CHSC) program, a worksite wellness initiative that provides workshops on nutrition and organizes fitness classes for church staff and their congregations. In March and April 2018, my church organized its first session of A Taste of African Heritage with Oldways.

One thing all of us enjoyed were the homework assignments given each week. Most assignments involved preparing a meal using some of the ingredients that were used in that week’s cooking session. On several occasions we learned about a new herb/spice/bean or tuber that we had never eaten. It was particularly exciting trying to find some of the unfamiliar food items at our local supermarket, produce store, or farmers’ market. 

[At the end of the series,] everyone agreed to make a conscious effort to incorporate the things we learned during the six sessions to improve our overall eating habits, health, and well-being. Judging from the feedback, the program was a success, and there were many in the group who would like to extend it. At TUMC we are committed to sustaining this program and all other programs that will aid church members and others to achieve overall physical, mental, spiritual, and financial wellness. Looking ahead, we plan to utilize Oldways' Taste of African Heritage Diet Pyramid model with our Manna House program, a free monthly feeding and clothing ministry for the community and also the meals we will be preparing for children attending our afterschool program ."

Thank you, Denise!
African Heritage Dine-Around-Town 

Please be sure to check out our Dine-Around-Town Directory this newsletter, as we’ve added a whole host of new restaurants. We now offer you options for all of the 50 states, so no matter where you are in the U.S., you aren’t left out! One of our newest additions is Sam's Spot Catering , started by Boston resident and new ATOAH instructor Chef Samantha Anson. Sam's Spot Catering serves up tempting Southern, soul, and Jamaican cuisine. Have suggestions for restaurants in your community to include? Let us know!
Oldways African Heritage Recipes 
The most powerful call to action to improve the health of African American families and communities is to get cooking! To help families put the   African Heritage Diet Pyramid   on their plate, here are three delicious, healthy recipes that take their cues from African roots. 

Click on the titles below to go to the recipes.

Jagacida is a Cape Verdean beans and rice dish. Also referred to as jag, it is heavily seasoned with onion, paprika, and bay leaves. The kidney beans and paprika make the dish a beautiful red and gold mixture. Jagacida can be eaten as a side dish or with vegetables to create a vegetarian meal.

Pikliz is a pickled slaw common in Haitian cuisine. It is often eaten alongside heartier dishes or as an accompaniment to beans and rice. One of its distinguishing characteristics is the use of Scotch Bonnet peppers. Almost all pikliz recipes include cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and onions and use white vinegar for pickling.

This recipe uses a number of traditional African Heritage ingredients, including many of its spices, as well as mangos, coconut milk, and fish, but the combination of ginger and snap peas gives it a slightly Asian flair.

The work of the African Heritage & Health Program would not be possible without the generous support of the Walmart Foundation. 

Johnisha Levi
Program Manager
johnisha@oldwayspt.org

Ruth Mendoza
Program Assistant
ruth@oldwayspt.org