Salty Grapes

That’s a funny title isn’t it? Well that’s just what one student at Halle Hewetson decided to try during our last Cookin’ Up Breakfast event at the elementary school. While pouring salt on grapes is not healthy, nor does it sound appetizing, this kid sure liked it. We applaud his willingness to try new food combinations. 

Whether it’s in the cafeteria or the classroom, we are always encouraging our students to try new healthy foods prepared in a variety of ways. We stress taste the food first as it probably does not need extra salt. We even provide two versions of a fruit/vegetable for kids to try in our monthly nutrition education classes. 

We all know kids can be picky eaters. Once they try a food and decide they don’t like it, it’s hard to get them to eat it again. But we like to impress upon them that there are a variety of ways fruits and vegetables can be prepared. Just because you don’t like a raw vegetable doesn’t mean you won’t like it cooked in a certain way.

The Cookin’ Up Breakfast initiative provides another opportunity for kids to see healthy foods prepared in different ways. At Halle Hewetson the menu consisted of breakfast burritos, a muffin, and fresh fruit accompanied by milk from Anderson Dairy. While one kid was enjoying making salty grapes, others were reveling in the delicious breakfast burritos and the sweet treat that is the Jamba Juice strawberry smoothie.

We want to give a special shout out to the culinary team at The Orleans Hotel & Casino for stepping up to the plate to sponsor this breakfast. It is one of the largest schools we support, and has an earlier than normal start time, meaning the culinary team has to wake up extra early to start prepping all those meals. It was the hardest slot of the year to fill, and without the support of Chefs for Kids Board Member Mark LaVoie, Executive Chef Philip Bonanno, and their culinary team at The Orleans Hotel & Casino, this breakfast may not have been possible this year.  

There are just three breakfast events left this school year, and all culinary sponsor slots have been filled. However, we are still looking to fill our plates for the next school year. If you’re interested in sponsoring a school by cooking up a healthy breakfast for the students and staff, reach out to donations@chefsforkids.org to get the conversation started!