Having a Howlin’ Good Time at Halle Hewetson

Our friends at College of Southern Nevada really showed up and showed out to put on a spectacular healthy breakfast experience for the students at Halle Hewetson ES. You might even say it was a “Howlin’ Good Time” as even their mascot, Cooper the Coyote, was on-site giving out high fives and fist bumps all around. He even challenged one student to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Several high-level administrators, including Interim-AVP Dr. Daniel Alvarado, EdD, also came out to say hi to the students and see the program in action. It was truly wonderful to see the entire CSN community coming together to support our students. They even brought CSN coloring books for each of the kids to take home!  We’re all about inspiring kids to go to college from a very early age. 

Chef Steve Soltz, Chef John Metcalfe, and the culinary team at College of Southern Nevada cooked up a completely plant-based breakfast of vegetable-forward versions of breakfast favorites including: Breakfast Empanadas with plant-based sausage, Cauliflower Hash Browns, and Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins. Using cauliflower as a starch substitute is usually a hit or miss with most people, but as we walked around the room and asked students what their favorite was, the most consistent answer was the cauliflower hash browns. We love to see that! 

Chefs Steve and John were gracious enough to share their recipes for the cauliflower hash browns and chocolate chip zucchini muffins with us. We’ve posted them on our website so you can try making these delicious dishes at home! 

Walking out of the cafeteria we could hear kids excitedly exclaim “Oh my god, we just got free food for the whole school?!” And another replied with “Yeah! And I’m going to give this to my mom today.” We couldn’t see what exactly they had chosen for mom, but it’s not uncommon to see the students we support stashing away part of their breakfast to share with a family member later. 

The unfortunate reality for many kids in the schools that we visit is that school is sometimes the only place where they receive a meal for the day. And for these students to want to share their only meal with their family, who is equally hungry, is a testament to their pure hearts of gold. These stories remind us of how the important work we do extends beyond the cafeteria. 

We still have a few breakfast spots left to fill this year. Let’s make sure no school goes without a Cookin’ Up Breakfast event. If you are part of a culinary team interested in lending your culinary talents to cook up a breakfast for our students – email us to get the ball rolling! You don’t have to be a chef to support it though. Be like our friends at Guy Fieri Foundation, and make a donation in any amount to our Cookin’ Up Breakfast program to help provide necessary funds to provide food supplies for these breakfasts!