Team Nutrition in the Schools: California

Willard Middle School
Berkeley, CA

The Food and Nutrition Service's regional office in California teamed up with The AIWF, the Berkeley Unified School District, and celebrity chef and best-selling cookbook author, Mollie Katzen, to bring "Days of Taste" to Willard Middle School. This fun-filled two day event took Ryan Chinn's sixth grade class on an exciting exploration of food from the ground to the joy of preparation to taste sensation.

On Day 1, Jered Lawson of the Berkeley Food Systems Project led a tour of the local Farmers' Market and assigned groups of students to purchase many of the ingredients for the next day's class. They thoughtfully picked out the best spinach, tomatoes, different varieties of lettuce, parsley, red bell peppers, carrots, and dill. The students also visited with Judith, a farmer from Full Belly Farms, who shared her experiences about working on a farm.

Day 2 found students preparing their own meal, which included recipes from Mollie Katzen's cookbook "Honest Pretzels" (Hip Bean Dip, Pita Spirals, Tossed Green Salad, and Apple Pockets were all hits!). With Mollie's assistance, the students took charge of the slicing, rolling and chopping...demonstrating kitchen safety, how to double a recipe (math CAN be fun!), and above all, teamwork! As the wonderful aroma of Apple Pockets filled the classroom, the tables were decorated for a feast. The students eagerly sampled the food that they created, and thanked Mollie and her staff for the chance to be chefs for a day.

To emphasize the link between nutrition education in the classroom and school dining room, the food service staff prepared those very same dishes as part of the school lunch menu that day.

"Days of Taste" gave children an opportunity to discover the bounty of local produce and learn where food comes from, savor different tastes and flavors, prepare nutritious food, and share a delicious meal. We wish to thank Mariaelena Springsted of The AIWF, and Elsie Szeto, Child Nutrition Director for Berkeley U.S.D. for making this event so successful!

Sunnymead Middle School
Moreno Valley, CA

To encourage students to try a variety of fruits and vegetables, the Home Economics classes at Sunnymead Middle School presented the school with a tasting party! They prepared cucumbers-on-a-stick wrapped with a wedge of lemon, and baggies of fresh strawberries, fresh pineapple and peeled mangoes. The servings were sold for fifty cents each at nutrition break during a Team Nutrition Week. The event was advertised in the daily school bulletin with an educational piece on how foods relate to health. By the end of the week, sales had tripled!

Sierra Elementary School
Tollhouse, CA

The food service staff helped give students at Sierra Elementary School in Tollhouse, California a unique opportunity to learn about healthy eating during Team Nutrition Days. Both students and food service staff planned, weeded, and harvested a row of herbs in the school garden. Food service personnel helped children in the lunch line identify herbs, and first graders picked fresh vegetables and herbs from their garden to use in school lunch meals.