{"id":9924,"date":"2021-01-08T16:05:23","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T21:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=9924"},"modified":"2021-02-11T17:28:41","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T22:28:41","slug":"sizzling-and-synchronous-foodbank-and-green-run-high-school-team-up-for-nutritious-cooking-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/sizzling-and-synchronous-foodbank-and-green-run-high-school-team-up-for-nutritious-cooking-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sizzling and synchronous: Foodbank and Green Run High School team up for nutritious cooking classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"""\"<\/a>
\nGreen Run High School culinary arts teacher Brittany Garcia, upper left, and Foodbank staff members check out students’ finished quinoa dishes via Zoom.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chef Brittany Garcia grabs her spatula and announces to her class:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, we are saut\u00e9ing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>
Chef Brittany Garcia prepares for an online lesson.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two cameras capture every move as the Green Run High School teacher prepares quinoa inside her kitchen. Her culinary arts students are also showing off their cooking skills via Zoom. The healthy grain pops and crackles in their skillets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are going to start sticking to the pan,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cIt\u2019s OK, because we\u2019re making fried rice. We actually want to that to happen a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a pause in the action, students discuss healthy eating with two guest presenters from the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are some ways you can practice mindful eating this week?\u201d asks Meaghan Butler, a registered dietician with the Foodbank\u2019s Nourishing Our Neighbors initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat in smaller portions,\u201d student Jade Mitchell says.<\/p>\n

\u201cEstablish a set eating plan through the day,\u201d student Brandon Zobel adds.<\/p>\n

In the past, the Foodbank has partnered with Green Run for pop-up farmers markets in the school\u2019s parking lot. But this is the first time the nonprofit has worked with a local high school for live, online lessons that combine cooking and nutrition, Butler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one of the ways COVID-19 has forced us to innovate and continue to engage students as they participate in virtual learning,\u201d said Butler, adding that the stress of the pandemic has made it more challenging to make healthy choices.<\/p>\n

Garcia said the online lessons have been a great way to open up with students.<\/p>\n

In Zoom\u2019s breakout rooms, students who were once too shy to speak up in class are now turning their cameras on and speaking with their peers. And now that Garcia has been invited inside her students\u2019 homes virtually \u2013 and they get a peek inside her kitchen \u2013 it\u2019s created a special bond.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>
Chef Garcia slicing the ingredients for her quinoa dish<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTrust is a big thing,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cBeing able to open up and comfortable turning on their cameras is a big win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students voted on what they wanted to prepare during the lessons. In addition to quinoa, they made black bean and corn salsa. Garcia and the Foodbank worked with a grocery service that delivered ingredients to students\u2019 doorsteps, thanks to federal funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.<\/p>\n

\u201cA major goal of this program is not just to feed individuals, but to nourish them and their families,\u201d said Butler, who co-leads the effort with Candace Weather, the Foodbank\u2019s regional outreach coordinator.<\/p>\n

Green Run Administrative Assistant Bridgette Berthold said Garcia is very passionate not only about being a chef and catering teacher but also about educating students on healthy habits, which goes hand in hand with cooking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been an amazing experience to see how the Foodbank and Green Run\u2019s partnership continues to evolve and become stronger,\u201d Berthold said. \u201cDespite the restrictions that the pandemic has put on our students and logistical efforts, we have overcome the challenges and turned the restraints into positive outcomes that have provided more opportunities for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia\u2019s class is advanced culinary arts, and many of the students have been learning together for two years now. Senior Brandon Zobel enrolled so he could learn how to cook meals that help him maintain his ideal wrestling weight.<\/p>\n

He credits Garcia with keeping the online lessons interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the whole thing she has going on,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of students, at first, they weren\u2019t up for the whole cooking-at-home thing. But then they started looking at all of us cooking and they said, \u2018Wait they\u2019re having fun, and I want to eat some food.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Ah yes, the food. That\u2019s where and when all the hard work pays off. At the end of class, Garcia invites everyone to lift up their quinoa dishes to the camera. Students nod in approval as steam rises from their bowls.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow all that we have left to do is taste,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cAnd there we have it, guys! Your dishes look great!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/a>
Chef Garcia stirs quinoa and other ingredients just before inviting students to show their finished dishes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Green Run High School culinary arts teacher Brittany Garcia, upper left, and Foodbank staff members check out students’ finished quinoa dishes via Zoom. Chef Brittany Garcia grabs her spatula and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9924"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9929,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9924\/revisions\/9929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}