A Very Verdes Breakfast

“Our kids love Chefs for Kids and look forward to it every single year.” Encouraging words to hear from Vegas Verdes ES Principal Kelly Grondahl. Our volunteers were back at it again serving up breakfast at this wonderful school on Mar. 9. This is the first breakfast at this school since prior to COVID, so it’s been quite a while since we’ve been able to visit our friends at Vegas Verdes ES. Grondahl continues…  “The older kids remember it, and they’re excited, but the younger kids just got to experience it for the first time.”

There were smiles all around the cafeteria and the school as kids enjoyed breakfast quesadillas filled with scrambled eggs & salsa; fresh fruit cups with pineapple and melon; mini blueberry muffins; low-fat regular and chocolate milk from our friends at Anderson Dairy; plus the always a hit smoothies from Jamba Juice and Hospitality Culinaire. 

As adults we know the nutritional and educational value of Chefs for Kids Healthy Eating Education Program. It’s easy to think the kids just see it as getting a delicious special breakfast, or that fruits and vegetables are just something they have to learn about in class, and we hope the message sticks. But they are truly watching, learning, and internalizing everything we do, and sometimes kids say the smartest things. One of our volunteers was talking to third grade student Isaiah, who is in one of our nutrition education classes, and he said “It’s kind of fun learning about fruits and vegetables. It gives me a healthy outlook.” We’re happy to see that we are truly making a difference in these kids’ lives.

We’ve said it before, but the Cookin’ Up Breakfast events not only feed our most vulnerable kids, they expose them to potential career possibilities and show them there’s a community of people that care about them. Says Principal Grondahl, “Anytime we can get our community representatives in our schools to model the possibilities for our kids it’s very helpful for what is lacking due to COVID situations.”

Thank you to all of our volunteers from ACF Chefs Las Vegas and South Point Casino & Hotel who showed up today to not only serve up the food to our kids, but also serve as role models who are outstanding community citizens and culinary professionals. We’d be remiss if we didn’t give Chef Jamie Poltrock and the amazing team at South Point a giant THANK YOU for  coming through for our students and picking up two breakfasts back to back to make sure these kiddos did not have their breakfast canceled this year. 

When our community comes together, the possibilities for good are endless. We are eternally grateful to our village of Healthy Eating Heroes and look forward to seeing you at the next few breakfasts rounding out the school year.