This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Inver Grove Heights Middle School Students Become Natural Chefs

Laura Greene brings her healthy eating program, "Becoming a Natural Chef," to the Inver Grove Heights Middle School.

A group of 13 Inver Grove Heights Middle School students gathered after school in a classroom at Simley High School Wednesday afternoon, filling the air with – of all things – the pleasantly appetizing smell of cilantro and other fresh vegetables they had just cut.

That wasn’t the only thing they appreciated about their work.

“I love the sounds they make,” said seventh grader Sam Church, referring to the fresh basil leaves she was tearing to prepare homemade pesto sauce.

Find out what's happening in Inver Grove Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I know — it’s crunchy,” agreed seventh-grader Gabby Patterson, who assisted Church.

The students were participating in the first day of Laura Greene’s “Becoming a Natural Chef” course — a modified version of a course she teaches as part her Chaska, Minn.-based “Grow. Eat. Share.” program. “Grow. Eat. Share” teaches kids to garden, cook with what they grow and donate the rest of their produce to a food shelf, said Greene, the creator of the program.

Find out what's happening in Inver Grove Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Greene hopes “Grow. Eat. Share.” will help change the unhealthy habits that many Americans have adopted, including an inactive lifestyle and too much fast and processed foods.

The class held on Wednesday in Inver Grove Heights is in an experimental stage and differs from the previous courses Greene has taught. Unlike her other classes, the program at the middle school doesn’t involve gardening. Instead, Greene is relying on a little physical activity to bolster the curriculum.

On Wednesday, the students walked briskly to Cub Foods and then to Simley, after choosing their own vegetables for a cooking project.

“The classes are [about] nutrition, fitness, environment, cooking — without trying to be,” she said. “Even when kids are picking out produce [at the store, instead of gardening], or cooking [with it], they are still involved. They are still more active than when they are just sitting on the couch playing video games or watching TV. The more they’re involved in the process, the more likely they are to eat [what is prepared].”

The seeds for Greene’s idea were planted while she was volunteering at a kindergarten class. There, she met a five-year-old boy who was already at risk for Type II diabetes.

“This type is based on diet; on sugar consumption – it’s not hereditary,” Greene said. “There are really young kids that are already at risk for that. And I thought, ‘He has not made these choices [for himself] – they are being made for him.’ It broke my heart, and I thought, ‘This is just unfair.’”

That experience motivated her to take the action that ultimately lead to “Grow. Eat. Share.” and the course she is teaching at the middle school, called “Becoming a Natural Chef.”

“Kids just need to learn what real food is, where it comes from, and need to be exposed to it,” Greene said.

To further that goal, Greene built a partnership with Eastern Carver County School District 112’s Community Education in Chaska last year. She is now planning to expand her “Grow. Eat. Share.” program to Inver Grove Heights through TriDistrict Community Education.

Her first foray into teaching in Inver Grove met with a warm welcome on Wednesday. Greene was only expecting to teach 10 young participants, but 13 signed up. Greene believes that number will grow in following sessions.

On Wednesday, middle school students eagerly made Pesto Smiley Face Pizzas, using all the produce they personally chose from the grocery store and chopped. Each student went home with his or her own culinary creation. Greene encouraged them to use “at least three veggies to make a face or design – whatever you want!”

The lessons in healthy eating quickly stuck with the students.

 “You learn how to work with fresh, non-processed ingredients,” said Patterson.

 “You should never choose processed — it’s not as good as fresh,” added fellow seventh-grader Amber Lee Bauch.

The classes will be offered through Community Ed at 2:30pm-3:50pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the next five weeks at Simley High School.

For more information, visit Greene's website.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Inver Grove Heights