Schools are bringing cooking skills into the classroom thanks to a partnership program with York Region Public Health.
You’re the Chef is a hands-on food literacy cooking program with a focus on fruits and vegetables, targeting students in Grades 5 to 8. Through the program, students learn basic cooking and safe food handling skills, interact with their peers and build their confidence preparing healthy meals.
“The objective of the program is to promote food literacy with an emphasis on cooking skills and also to promote connectedness and social interaction between students, which is an important aspect of promoting a positive mental health,” said Nancy Bevilacqua, Public Health Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian, York Region Public Health.
York Region Public Health provides training for educators or school community members interested in running the program at the school.
“If we bring this initiative of You are the Chef into our classrooms, I believe there is a real opportunity to educate students with all these essential skills so they can cook at home and attain a healthy lifestyle,” said Kalpana Chaudry, Grade 8 Teacher, Doncrest P.S. who participated in the program. “This program actually seamlessly integrates with our curriculum as well so it was very easy to incorporate.”
“You get to cook your own meals which will serve as a base and a foundation for your future years, and it’s really cool because you get to also try your meals,” said Edor, Grade 8 student, Doncrest P.S.
Hear more from York Region Public Health and the staff and students at Doncrest P.S. who participated in the program.