by Carlye Goldman
What better way to get your students learning about the importance of seed-to-table education than getting a hands-on experience to cultivate their own healthy dishes? If you’ve been searching for unique, innovative ways to teach children and students their regular curriculum through a new lens, look no further. Help them gain a new perspective on their social studies or science topics by taking a field trip to Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen House & Culinary Garden.
Edible Education invites students (PreK-12) and teachers to join us for a unique learning experience. Enjoy gardening and cooking activities as we tailor them specifically to your curriculum. It’s our goal to reinforce subjects like science, geography, math, history and nutrition by integrating them into gardening and cooking. Every field trip will include a garden component to gather ingredients for cooking.
Gardening and Cooking School
We are a community garden and a cooking school all in one. Here, in the garden and in the kitchen, your students will look at food in a new light. They’ll begin to think about where their food comes from and where it’s going. We’ll plant seeds in their minds (pun intended) to emphasize the importance of gratitude for the food that ends up on their plates. In turn, this will get them thinking about the importance of growing food.
Meet Our Instructors
Our teachers are driven and motivated to helping children not only grow food but also grow as human beings.
Allyson, our chef instructor, creates an organized environment and well-outlined goal of the day for the students. She’ll make your children comfortable in the kitchen space so they’ll be excellent junior chefs once they get back home.
Brad, our garden coordinator, clearly conveys information and asks thoughtful questions to get students thinking in a different way. Take something such as cotton growing in our culinary garden. He’ll dig deep and ask questions about where students believe their shirts come from. Your students will be thinking about resources and food in a way they never did before.
Hands-On Field Trips
If your students are like most kids their age, they yearn to take a break from sitting down in the classroom. They want to get involved in hands-on learning activities. There’s no better way to get kids to release their energy than by cooking nutritious and delicious meals in the kitchen. It’s important that they not only learn in a natural environment but also in a clean, well-equipped kitchen where cooking becomes the most exciting, educational part of their day.
We sometimes think: “kids + kitchen= mess,” but not at our Kitchen House! We make sure the kids’ stations are neat and orderly for a smooth, enjoyable cooking experience. Your children’s safety is most important to us, which is why we designed our space specifically for students as they learn about safe tools and techniques.
Not surprisingly, students are just as excited to cook the food as they are to eat it. They’re engrossed in the entire process, from choosing produce in the garden and prepping food to cooking from recipes and eating the results. It’s inspiring to hear students say they want to take their newly acquired chef skills home and start cooking meals for their families.
We want you to grow with us! Inquire about our seed-to-table field trip. Every child gains a sense of empowerment here with a hands-on experience like this. The way the Kitchen House and Garden blends together to produce a culinary education for kids is so worthwhile.
Finally, check out this video that features our organization through the Emeril Foundation starting its school-based program.
Author’s Bio: Carlye Goldman is Edible Education Experience’s newest intern and studies Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health at Rollins College. She is currently an English as a Foreign Language teacher and passionate about connecting sustainable agriculture and education.