Chef plants seed of healthy eating

By Tania Martin
WORLD-renowned chef Stephanie Alexander will visit Kallista next week to talk about her kitchen garden project.
The people of Kallista have been invited to come along to a town meeting on Wednesday, 14 February to meet Stephanie Alexander and get involved in the project.
In November last year Kallista Primary School was one of 20 schools to receive a $62,500 grant for the Kitchen Garden Project with Stephanie Alexander.
The State Government has teamed up with the well-known chef to run the program which teaches children how to prepare healthy food from the kitchen to the garden where vegetables are grown.
It also aims to tackle childhood obesity and encourages healthy eating.
Principal Barbara Rose said the funding would be used to employ kitchen and garden staff to teach children how to cook and behave in the kitchen.
The existing canteen will also be transformed into a children’s kitchen with five workstations.
Ms Rose said the project will give the children the opportunity to see how to prepare healthy food from start to finish including planting the vegetables and watching them grow and cooking something healthy.
She said the Stephanie Alexander project is just an extension of the school’s garden project.
“We already have a vegetable and herb garden that the students have been helping to grow,” she said.
Ms Rose said the meeting will give townspeople and local businesses the opportunity to meet Ms Alexander and get involved in the project.
“We want every one in the school and wider community to be involved in this exciting project,” she said.
Ms Rose said the school has also invited services groups and clubs to come along to the meeting and to join the project.
“We need volunteers and sponsors and the meeting is a chance for people to meet Stephanie, get involved and see why we are so passionate about this program,” she said.
The meeting will be held at Kallista Primary School in the general purpose room at 7pm on Wednesday, 14 February and everyone is invited.
To find out more information about the meeting or the project contact the school on 9755 2633.