Cooking classes for disadvantaged folks

[touaregsand]

I read an article a while back about a few chefs in San Francisco doing something similar. I'll try to find and post a link.

Are we all getting the impression that learning how to cook is empowering? Of all the lessons that my parents made me take (piano, violin, French, Spanish, tennis, golf, etc)

a simple cooking lesson for me was the most immediately gratifying.

[zasilva]

Here's a link to Operation Frontline (the program that winebabe mentioned above).

Operation Frontline

http://www.strength.org/what/operationfrontline/

A program of Share Our Strength

http://www.strength.org/

Description from Website

Operation Frontline®

Nationally sponsored by Tyson Foods, Inc., Operation Frontline promotes a long-term solution to hunger by providing parents who struggle to feed their families on a low income, the cooking, nutrition, and food budgeting skills they need to make healthy and economical food choices.

Since its inception in 1993, more than 31,000 people have participated in Operation Frontline classes and an additional 89,000 have received nutrition information through nutrition fairs and events. Classes are currently running in over 200 communities in 14 states including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

Operation Frontline unites chefs, nutritionists, and other community leaders to share their strengths by volunteering to teach classes in their communities. Every year at Share Our Strength’s Conference of Leaders, Operation Frontline recognizes chefs that have taught 15 or more classes by naming them to the Operation Frontline Hall of Fame.

In partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, Operation Frontline hosts AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers. VISTAs play an instrumental role in developing and maintaining volunteer relations as well as working to build program sustainability.

[zasilva]

I'm really interested in this topic so I did some research about existing programs in my area (Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD). Here are a few examples of what some community organizations are doing.

Local Food Alliance Healthy Cooking Project

http://communityharvestdc.org/alliance/lfacooking.htm

A program of Community Harvest

http://communityharvestdc.org/alliance/alliance.htm

Nutrition/Cooking classes: Super Pantry program

http://www.povertysolutions.org/content/in...24/SectionID/76

A program of Center for Poverty Solutions

http://www.povertysolutions.org

Moveable Feast

http://www.mfeast.org

[chefzadi]

I taught another cooking class to kids this week. Working class neighborhood. The recipe was crepes with fruit or vegetable fillings. I used whole wheat flour, fresh vegetables and fruit, no added sugar, very little added fat. Again, the kids had so much fun and the recipe was so basic, they didn't even know it was supposed to be "good for them." I think that this is a very important part of an overall approach to eating and health. Simple stuff that is nutritious and tastes good.

[chefzadi]

I taught another class today. This time in South Central Los Angeles. There was a shooting near the school the other day. Sorry to be dull, but I taught them how to make vegetable quesadillas. It's a different school, fresh faces, so it's not a repeat to them. It's also the easiest thing to demo with the limited cooking equipment I have to work with. It's also a sure hit with kids, healthy but tasty. The reactions were similar. The kids and I both had a great time.

On another note, a student of mine from one of the recreational classes I teach volunteers to help disabled children. We are looking for a local venue to conduct classes for people with disabilities. I think that egullets class on cooking with disabilities will be very useful for me.

[fou de Bassan]

Chefzadi,

I think this is great news! You are giving me great ideas about future classes. As involved as we are in food it is easy for us to forget that our education was incremental and gradual and we need to return to that for the classes.

Thanks for the updates!

fou

[chefzadi]

I taught another class to kids. The teacher wanted a multicultural theme. I've already mentioned the time and equiptment constraints. (anyone can teach similar classes with one of those counter top butane burners. They are available at Korean markets for less than $20.00).

We made Mexican Pizza with Asian vegetables. You know what kid's actually like vegetables!

[Marmish]

I found an article about a multi-pronged approach that the high school my distrcit feeds into is using to address obesity in students. Many of them are also economically disadvantaged as well. Here is the paragraph that pertains to the cooking classes:

Cooking with Heart and Soul (CWHS) followed closely on the heels of the Junk Free Zone and is currently one of the most popular components of The Nutrition Revolution. It gives students and their families an opportunity to meet once a week for six-weeks and learn how to prepare healthy, easy-to-make, delicious meals. Each week a different guest chef (faculty and staff members from the school, community members, or SBHC staff) teaches the 22-25 participants how to prepare and cook a nutritious dinner. Everyone partakes in the chopping, mixing and cooking. The families then have the opportunity, which their busy lives usually prevent, to sit with their families and enjoy the meal together. The participants then take part in a twenty-minute nutrition presentation given by the SBHC Health Education Coordinator or by Loyola University Chicago dietetic interns, on topics such as reading food labels, fats and sugars, serving sizes, exercise and the food guide pyramid. Lastly, the families are given an opportunity to participate in a discussion regarding stress management, and they learn how eating habits and stress are linked. Each week the SBHC Clinical Psychologist addresses a different aspect of stress and diet and its impact on mental and physical health. This vital portion of Cooking with Heart and Soul allows the participants to learn how their mental health and how they manage the stress of their daily lives can directly impact their weight, what they eat and how they feel. The evening concludes with door prize drawings donated by local community businesses.

This is only one part. The rest of the article is here.

[chefzadi]

Thank you for posting the link to the article. I taught another class to kids the other day. Same recipes, but diferent ingredients. I find that children will eat lots of vegetables if they are presented as a quesadilla, pizza or crepe. They will eat whole wheat products as well. The "trick" to cut the vegetables very small, grated or a fine dice. A way to "sneaK' more vegetables in is to add carrots, onions and garlic to a tomato sauce, most will eat it this way or the mixture can be pureed for picky eaters.

Also, I've been in touch with a local shelter who has a group of families they help. It's really important to reach the parents as well. To teach them to cut out the sugary drinks and quick fix cheap snacks. The parents need to understand this as well. I mean they really need to understand this. A school lunch program or teaching kids is only part of the solution, it has to be a family project.

I always get a bit of kick out of the reception I get when I teach these classes. The kids act like Elmo is visiting the class. Yes the iconic image of the French chef is deeply ingrained even in the inner city. I might as well be a character from TV for the kids.

[chefzadi]

I've taught 2 more classes to children since my last post.

In the most recent class an oven was available so I had a chance to move away from the usual vegetable quesadilla/pizza. We made vegetable tarts or a pie of sorts.

I contacted a church that offered me some teaching space for classes. I will post with updates.

[chefzadi]

A quick update.

The church has time and space. There is a waitlist of students. The main concern is funding. The funding is a matter of juggling politics.

I contacted some of the organizations mentioned upthread. I would like to teach for them as well.

There is a lot of bureaucracy that slows things down. I have trouble being patient with it. It seems so simple to me.

[chefzadi]

I've taught another class to children since my last update.

The kids in the poorer neighborhoods break my heart. They are so sweet, gentle and eager to help me with the cooking demos. I can see that many of the children in the poorer neighborhoods are malnourished. I see it in their skin, hair, nails. They wear hand me downs, tattered cheap ill fitting clothes. They eat everything I make them. Often times it's a really a full meal portion shortly after lunchtime. I wonder what they ate at lunch. I wonder what they will eat for dinner. I wonder what they will have for breakfast. The so called third world is right here in Los Angeles. 25% of the children in California live below the poverty line.

I will be at The Good Shepard in a couple of weeks. They are having a spa day for homeless women in transition. The women have different reasons/causes for becoming homeless with children no less. Oh my God, the most vulnerable on the streets. The use of the word "spa" is for fun, make no mistake about it, the scene is not something out of Oprah. It is very basic, the neccessities of life. Including clothes and makeup for job interviews. A buffet lunch will be served. I will donate some food for it. We are discussing the logistics of doing a demo/class.

It's not a solution for all the problems in the world. It is about little steps. Reaching out to another person in small ways, breathing tiny amounts of hope.

[chefzadi]

The 'day spa' went very well. All in all there were about 200 people, including children of the women and some volunteers.

I donated a pasta dish enough to feed 40-60, it's not really possible to make more in home kitchen. Others donated food as well, so there was plenty. My food costs were about $10.00 for 5 bags of pasta, 5 cans of organic tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil. I also did a little baby sitting while the moms were being pampered a bit.

I want to gently add that 'pamper' and 'day spa' are very relative. This day was about simple basics that most of us take for granted.

I donated a used computer and will be teaching some classes at the shelter.