Brooklyn Students Learn the Art of Preparing Healthy, Delicious Food

At Brooklyn Scholars Charter School, students from kindergarten to fifth grade are learning the art of preparing healthy, delicious food as part of the Food Bank for New York City CookShop Classroom.  CookShop Classroom strives to promote nutrition, develop healthy eating habits, and inform students that good food can be affordable.

“This program is such a positive experience for our students,” said Tricia Anderson-Randall, dean at Brooklyn Scholars Charter School. “Students are learning about where food comes from, how to prepare it, and the benefits it has on their health.”

CookShop delivers fresh produce to the school each week and supplies the materials students need for the course. These materials include mixing bowls, cutting boards, and utensils. The students are then able to work on the food preparation, with guidance from teachers and parent volunteers.

“Students are getting involved during the whole process,” Anderson-Randall said. “They are able to see how the produce looks when it arrives, how to properly cut, chop, and shred the produce, and finally how to mix it in with the rest of the meal.”

“In CookShop I learned the difference between go foods, slow foods, and whoa foods,” said Kursten Randall, third-grade student.  “Go foods have less sugar, slow foods have a lot of sugar, and whoa foods you should only eat once in a while like candy and rice.”

CookShop takes place once a week in nine different classrooms at Brooklyn Scholars and includes students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

“It is my hope that the skills they are learning will benefit them for years to come!” Anderson-Randall said.