March is National Nutrition Month, a subject very close to our hearts. Started by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics fifty years ago, this year’s theme is ‘Fuel for the Future', with an emphasis on the environment. You can make a difference simply by selecting food with minimal packaging, buying in bulk, shopping locally, composting, or even growing your own herbs and vegetables.
This is also a great opportunity to promote nutritional awareness in your school, workplace or home. It doesn't have to be complicated. At home, you can experiment with new herbs or spices, try citrus in your cooking to enhance flavor, experiment with meatless meals, involve the whole family in a meal, or make a point of eating together as often as possible. If you’re a teacher, you could focus a lesson around reading food labels, organize a field trip to a farm, or give a lesson about 'Myplate', the USDA's recommended daily food group allocation. At work, you could host a 'lunch and learn' session on healthy eating, start a walking club or highlight cultural food in the cafeteria. (Credit to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and eatright.org for these ideas).
Small changes can make big differences, and big changes can shape communities. We’re passionate about doing just that. As always, THANK YOU for your support.
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Warm wishes,
Lara Rajninger,
Executive Director
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Upcoming Farm to Table Summer Camp... |
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This summer, we're thrilled to be using a portion of the funding that we received from the Oakland Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax Fund grant. We're partnering with Acta Non Verba, an organization that challenges oppressive dynamics and environments through urban farming. Founded and led mainly by women of color, ANV creates a safe and creative outdoor space for children, youth, and families in East Oakland. Beginning in June, young students will be cooking with us for three or four hours, three days a week for six weeks. Students will get to harvest from the farm across the street and then cook a meal from the produce they picked. They'll be provided with a true farm to table experience that will encourage healthy eating right from the source.
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We Love to Teach Whatever the Weather |
Shout out to our instructor, Dana Hayse, who delivered her online lesson during one of our recent storms, against all the odds. First the ingredients couldn’t be delivered due to mayhem on the roads, so she and her husband dropped them off personally at every student’s house. She herself had no power, but, undeterred, delivered her virtual lesson on her phone, from a Wi-Fi hotspot using a battery powered by her van. She lost connection for ten minutes but came back to find her students all still happily cooking away. Dana said it was a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the students and their families in person.
Dana's commitment represents the passion she and all of our instructors bring to the job every single day. Thank you to Dana and to each and every instructor at Kids Cooking for Life, for all you do. Here’s to sunnier days ahead.
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The County of Marin’s Community Service Fund program provides funding to nonprofit service providers as well as governmental entities in order to support specific projects or programs that provide a measurable benefit to Marin County residents. They have provided grants to us over a period of several years, and have greatly helped us expand our outreach to at-risk kids in Marin. THANK YOU for being a part of the solution.
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Meet Our Instructor - David Groff |
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After graduating from both the California Culinary Academy and Tante Marie’s Cooking School, David cooked at Zuni Cafe and Gioia in San Francisco. He's also worked as a personal chef, and a caterer, as well as with the Bay Area’s largest fish supplier. Subsequently, he became the manager of all the public classes at the San Francisco Cooking School while instructing a majority of them. David is currently a traveling chef, instructing at various Bay Area venues, including The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, and through his company, Mealticketsf. |
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Recipe - Bean and Cheese Pupusas With Cabbage Slaw
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These pupusas are very popular with our students. It's a familiar dish to many of them and they're thrilled to be able to make it themselves. El Salvador and Honduras both claim to be the birthplace of the pupusa, but variants are popular throughout South America.
This recipe calls for masa harina, a corn-based flour (available in many mainstream supermarkets, online, or from most South American food stores) to which a little water, salt and oil is added to form a simple dough. Beans and cheese add protein and for extra nutritional punch, pupusas are often served with slaw; our version is zesty but super easy. We hope you enjoy them as much as our students do!
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'I just gave my little brother a bite of my quesadilla and he wants me to make nine more!"
Junior Chef from our 'Together We Cook' program.
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