Santa
Fe, April 22, 2009 -- Geronimo's head chef, Martin
Rios, and other top chefs will participate in a program teaching
kids to make healthy food choices, as part of a new program
created by Cooking with Kids, a Santa Fe non-profit. Cooking
with Kids' mission is to motivate and empower children to make
healthy food choices through hands-on learning with fresh, affordable
foods from diverse cultural traditions. The new Super Chefs
program will partner each chef with a participating local public
elementary school, to expose students to learn how to cook fresh,
healthy meals. Volunteering their time, these top chefs hope
to share not only their talent but their passion too.
Participating
chefs include:
* Rocky Durham-
Culinary Director, SF School of Cooking
* Fernando Olea- Chef/Owner, Bert's La Taqueria
* Martin Rios- Chef, Geronimo
* Johnny Vollertson- Cooking School Director, Las Cosas
Having received
overwhelming interest in the program, Cooking with Kids plans
to expand into additional schools for the 2009/2010 school year.
Cooking with
Kids is a Santa Fe non-profit working to empower elementary
school children to make healthy choices about food. This is
achieved through hands-on experience with fresh, affordable
foods from diverse cultures. As the name implies, kids actually
cook. Over the years, students have cooked such dishes as Black
Bean Tostadas, Ethiopian Lentils with Couscous, Chinese-American
Fried Rice, and Fresh Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato
Basil Sauce.
Founded in 1995
by local restaurateur Lynn Walters, Cooking with Kids works
in partnership with Santa Fe Public Schools. This year the program
serves over 4,450 Pre-K through 6th grade kids at 12 low-income
schools. Classes are part of the regular school day, and a curriculum
has been designed to include not only nutrition, but math, social
studies, and science. Family members are encouraged to volunteer.
Last year over 1,000 individuals volunteered with the program.
To contact Cooking
with Kids, please call Anna Farrier at 505-690-7390 (cell) or
email afarrier@cookingwithkids.net.
Additionally, you can visit them on the web at www.cookingwithkids.net.
