Farm to School Cafetaria Taste Tests

FoodCorps partners with schools and communities to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging. Our AmeriCorps members serve alongside educators and school nutrition leaders to provide kids with nourishing meals, food education, and culturally affirming experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Building on our service program, FoodCorps develops leaders, grows networks, and advocates for policy change in service of every kid’s health and wellbeing. Every child, in every school, experiences the joy and power of food. By 2030, FoodCorps envisions that every child has access to food education and nourishing food in schools.

Through our partnership with FoodCorps, we are grateful enough to host three amazing FoodCorps Service Members for the 2022-2023 school year! Just one aspect of their role is to have a great cafeteria presence for their students through eating lunch with the students and most importantly hosting taste tests for students to enjoy locally harvested, nutritious fruit and vegetable dishes. These service members procure the food, prepare the dish, gather all the supplies needed for a taste test, create engaging graphics to educate on the harvest of the month, and make a voting board for students to express how much they enjoyed (or disliked) any given taste test.

This year, our FoodCorps Service Members have completed taste tests with recipes focused around Butternut Squash, Blueberries, Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Kale, Persimmons, Lettuce, and Cabbage! An overwhelming amount of students voted that they "liked" or "loved" these recipes. One recipe was so well-received, that the Food Service Workers at Lincoln School added the recipe to their school lunch menu! 

Family Fun in the Kitchen

Family Fun in the Kitchen is the perfect opportunity to learn new easy, nutritious, and delicious recipes that you can make with children! Bond with your child and teach them pertinent cooking skills while trying something you both can enjoy! Recipes have included orange cranberry muffins, tofu stir fry, sweet potato pancakes, Hoppin’ John, jackfruit empanadas, and more! Chef Afi will walk your family through every step of the process and at the end, you will be able to eat the dish you made with your family!

All recipes are vegan and plant-based. 

Click here to register for the next program!

Please inform staff if you or your child has any allergies or dietary restrictions.

Check out our past recipes from Chef Afi!

Catch up on FFIK!

Click Here for Lunar New Years Dumpling Recipe

Click Here for Sweet Potato Fritters Recipe!

Click Here for Veggie Spring Rolls Recipe!

Click Here for Sweet Potato Pancakes Recipe

Click Here for Jackfruit Empanadas Recipe

Click Here for Caramelized Onion Mushroom Naan Bread Pizza Recipe

Click Here for Smoky Collard Greens Recipe

Click Here for Veggie Chili Recipe

Health in the City documentary

A look into the lives of some local residents as they make changes to become healthier.