We are proud to be working for the third year with Principal Catalina Flor of Phillis Wheatley Elementary School in Overtown to activate Chefs Move to Schools, part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to raise a healthier generation of kids in America. It’s all about engaging chefs to help teach students and parents about nutrition, and making balanced and healthy choices. Read about a recent visit for FOOD Day 2012 here, and see below for how we partner with our school, ongoing.
Open House and Planting Day: Each school year, we introduce parents and kids to the school garden program with the help of faculty at Back to School Night, followed by a planting day to get the garden ready and growing, to be maintained by students and incorporated into their science curriculum throughout the year.
Recipe Demonstrations and Farmer Visits: Understanding that healthy food options are not always available, the program aims to teach students about where food comes from and set them on a path toward making more balanced choices. Michael, his chefs, and farmers visit the school periodically to cook and show that it is fun and easy to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into one’s daily routine.
A Healthier Cafeteria: Michael collaborates with students on a fresh, healthy, and tasty dishes for their school cafeteria menus. Over the years, chef has worked on lunch items like Grilled Rosemary Chicken Salad which was a huge hit with the kids and is now available to high school students system-wide through Miami-Dade County Public School’s healthy vending machine program. The focus for the 2012-13 school year is free school breakfast and making that healthier and more kid-friendly!
