Childhood Nutrition Day
Childhood Nutrition Day, celebrated on, or around Oct. 16, focuses on the need for education about childhood hunger, proper nutrition and obesity issues. Since the campaign’s launch in 1995, hundreds of chefs across the nation have participated in events within their local communities to feed hungry children, and foster and promote awareness of proper nutrition.
Childhood Nutrition Day 2018
Thank you to all the ACF members and chapters that organized a variety of fun-filled events to raise awareness of childhood nutrition. Together, we reached over 2,000 students with the message of healthy eating!
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ACF Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey
ACF Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey hosted the first of three outreach events in support of Childhood Nutrition Day at the Community Food Bank of South Jersey. Ken Trout, CEC, CCA, AAC, corporate executive chef, Icon Hospitality, Galloway, N.J., Joe Sheridan, CEC, chef educator, Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing, N.J., and Larry Tambone from J. Ambrogi Foods, taught families about healthy nutritious meals using fruits and vegetables, raw and grilled. The kids especially enjoyed making fruit smoothies!
ACF Gulf Coast Culinary Association
Samuel Spencer, Kim McKeller, Ryan Rodgers, CC, from ACF Gulf Coast Culinary Association joined forces with Tony’s Tejas Salsa, the Bishop State Community College Culinary Arts department and Vigor High School Culinary Arts department to host Healthy Heroes 2018 to over 700 students at WC Griggs Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama. The event included healthy chef action stations, as well as activity stations on health and exercise. Each child left with a healthy snack bag and handouts.
Delmarva Chefs & Cooks Association
Dorchester Career and Technology Culinary Arts Program, led by Charlene Zinnel, CCE, member of the American Culinary Federation, Nate Bratko, nutrition educator for the University of Maryland Extension Program, Leslie Bishop, director of MidShore Meals Til Monday and the Judy Center partnered to facilitate a day long assembly at Sandy Hill Elementary School in Cambridge, Maryland, to highlight the importance of childhood nutrition. During each grade level assembly, students learned more about the importance of trying new foods and leading a healthy lifestyle and were encouraged to sample new foods that were introduced to them during the assembly rotations.
Kim Larson
Kim Larson, member of ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of CA and owner, D&L Catering, Inc., Los Angeles, Cali., worked with the student campus culinary club to prepare fresh fruit smoothies and fruit displays for over 300 middle school and high school students during lunch.
Michael Garahan, CEC
Michael Garahan, CEC, personal chef and national ACF member, demonstrated Green Goddess Smoothies to approximately 70 students and staff at Sacred Heart School, Emporia, Kansas. He also provided them with healthy snack samples.
ACF Coastal Virginia Chapter
The ACF Coastal Virginia Chapter hosted pre-school aged children from the Children’s Learning and Research Center (CLRC) at Old Dominion University to learn about various fruits and vegetables and expose the children to a Farmer’s Market experience through stations led by chapter members. They will learn where each produce grows and in which season as they taste various fruits and vegetables. They will get to hold the whole and halved versions of each fruit and vegetable, and feel the various textures of each. They will taste the raw and cooked versions to expose their taste buds to new flavors.
Hillsborough Community College
On October 30, 2018, students from the Hospitality club and Dietetic Technician program visited the Dale Mabry Child Development Center as part of Childhood Nutrition Day. Students prepared mango smoothies for the children, read food-related storybooks, and used food models to teach healthy food choices. The preschoolers enjoyed seeing how the smoothie was made and were eager to try the result. The HCC students appreciated the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a community setting. A take-home packet, including handouts on childhood nutrition and the mango smoothie recipe were provided to parents to encourage healthy food choices at home. It was a great day for HCC students, big and small!