Rooted in the belief that food is medicine, CHEF is a Culinary Health Education Program that teaches children and families basic nutrition and practical cooking skills, with the long-term goal of motivating individuals and communities to adopt and sustain healthier eating habits.
The mission of CHEF is to drive healthy eating among children and families by promoting nutritious food and home cooking as key ingredients in the recipe for life-long health and wellness.
CHEF Recipe for Life:
- Cook Well – Learn simple skills to cook healthy foods at home
- Eat Well – Explore wholesome and delicious flavors
- Live Well – Embrace good food as your body’s best medicine
Each CHEF class is carefully designed to:
- Emphasize the health benefits of plant-based foods
- Include a variety of fruits & vegetables to increase beneficial colors and visual appeal to meals
- Explore flavor development through the use of herbs & spices
- Promote wholesome foods and decrease the consumption of added sugars & highly processed foods
- Demonstrate portion sizes of a well-balanced diet
- Utilize local, seasonal foods whenever possible
- Teach simple cooking methods to promote overall wellbeing
