Operation Hermosa Village

Posted by Cathy Berg on Thursday, September 9, 2010

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Veggie Super Hero I arrived in Anaheim, California on a recent Friday morning – straight off one of those super-early AM flights that make it practically a necessity to resuscitate with an immediate infusion of caffeine upon arrival. Soon enough though, coffee notwithstanding, the energy of the day dramatically increased when I connected with our partners from the American Culinary Federation (ACF). They, along with an indefatigable group of students from nearby Cypress College’s culinary arts program, were already hard at work in the labyrinth-like bowels of the Marriott hotel’s kitchens, organizing enough food and supplies to feed a small army.

A couple hours later, with an excited and motley crew of chefs and other volunteers from around the country, we descended upon the Project Access Family Resource Center at Hermosa Village, an affordable housing community in Anaheim, where the next day a cadre of more than 40 chefs from ACF, along with Share Our Strength and Project Access, would be conducting an Operation Frontline food and nutrition outreach event for resident families and kids. Proudly wearing their chef whites and toques, chefs and culinary students alike were feverishly rinsing, chopping, mixing, beating and cooking up all sorts of healthy ingredients and dishes that would be shared the next day with participating families. Hermosa Village residents were standing on tip toes, peering into the windows of the community’s kitchen, eager to catch a glimpse of the chef “rock-stars” working away. Excitement was in the air.

The big event kicked off the next morning with a cooking demo conducted by ACF President, Chef Michael Ty, who prepared samples of Chinese Veggies & Rice. You can find the recipe in the Operation Frontline Recipe Collection (PDF). Families then rotated through four different stations, each featuring a series of tastings and hands-on activities that helped them: discover new fruits and vegetables, learn about various whole grain options and delicious ways to use them, and explore a host of healthy drink and snack choices.

According to Chef Mike McGreal, department chair at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, and one of the many participating chefs that day, “working directly with families and kids to share our culinary and nutritional know-how is such a fulfilling role for chefs. The heart of what we train for is to nourish the body by bringing people together to share food, family and friendship. I’d be surprised if a single chef left Hermosa Village without feeling moved and inspired to do more of the same to help families in their own local communities.”

Many thanks to ACF, Chef McGreal and all the other volunteer chefs and students who helped put on such an incredible event. I think they’d all agree that it’s the smile on the face of this little boy, proudly showing off the “veggie super hero” he made with his family – and the comments we heard from parents who were excited to start implementing some healthy new ideas at home – that made the food and nutrition fair at Hermosa Village feel like such a resounding success!

Here are a few more photos from the event. Chef Brad Everett, making Fruit Smoothies:

Everett