Update: “Critical Food Literacy and Cooking Skills” class aka “Health Eating and Meal Planning” is a success!

Last Thursday I held the first-ever ‘food class’ at Floyd Light Middle School. We had 7 families signed up but only 5 attended. Nonetheless, those that participated were fully engaged and excited to be there.

The class is composed of “students” aged 12ish to 70ish, all of whom live in the vicinity of the school. Some are families while others are couples; and all of them are eager to learn how to cook healthier meals. It is also exciting for me to hear that some attendees are enjoying the ‘food literacy’ piece. For example, tonight we talked about seasonality and I was able to introduce everyone to the variety of winter produce that is available to them. There was a moment when I brought food to the table and some people had never seen nor heard of the item. This feeling of being resourceful, even helpful, is very fulfilling for me.

I take pride in the fact that I am not an expert, but a “regular joe” who took an interest in food which developed into a hobby and passion. I like presenting a recipe or a vegetable and not knowing everything about it. Food and cooking is very much a learning process for me and I enjoy sharing that experience with others.

The cooking portion of the class is definitely a hit (thus far.) The recipes are simple and healthy. During the first week we prepared pasta with shredded veggies and rosemary; and tonight we made a vegetable stir-fry with white rice. What’s interesting to me is that everyone in the class has some basic cooking skills, yet all of them are eager to eat healthier. It seems like this class is a resource for basic nutrition as well as family bonding. It’s beautiful to see families come on a weekday night and cook a meal together. It makes me feel good to know that I am able to provide this experience for them.

After talking with each of the participants, it is clear that some seek the literacy piece while others just want to cook. Even now, after the second class, I am convinced everyone is benefiting from the evening culinary adventure. I see this as the beginning to something great. It’s only a matter of time before the class is offered more often and word is out that its worth your while.

Related posts:

1. Cooking Class Takes New Direction
2. Session 1 Complete!
3. Food Revolution – One Class at a Time
4. The Kale Vacuum
5. The Food Curriculum Project (part VI) “Lesson Plan 4″

Tags: food literacy, seasonal eating