On Wednesday, June 1st, I was lucky enough to visit this wonderful school in Austin, Texas, where I was able to meet, garden, and cook with a remarkable crew of kids. University of Texas Elementary School hosted “Garden to Table”, celebrating a delicious year of learning with Austin-based Chef Toni Tipton-Martin. Teachers, students, parents and family members welcomed guests including Chef Bill Yosses, pastry chef at the White House, and a happy crew of International Association of Culinary Professionals members like me, for an afternoon of harvesting vegetables from the school garden, prepping, cooking, and eating a feast of fresh, delicious locally-grown food. Students at UTES shine in First Lady Michelle Obama’s visionary program, “Chefs Move to Schools”, and thanks to the generous support of Le Creuset and Whole Foods Market, they ended their year of learning with this unforgettable celebration. Here’s a look at Part 1 of a memorable gathering, the ‘Garden’ portion of UTES’ Garden to Table adventures. Stay tuned — from here, we got on our buses and headed off to Austin’s Whole Foods Market to wash, prep, cook, and feast on this hand-crafted harvest with the Garden To Table students.
Wow, what great lessons these kids will learn. And great food they’ll get to eat!
Thanks, Rufus. They really seemed to be feasting on both the food they prepared and the pleasures of being in these fantastic kitchens with a herd of eager culinary-focused grown-ups who wanted to pass along the pleasures of kitchen and table.
I am looking forward to the next “installment”– and seeing what you and the kids made with all those garden goodies.
Thank you, Marge. I am fixin’ to post that Part 2 chunk today.
I’ll be adding names to the wonderful faces to this post as I gather them — please let me know if you see someone you know, and can help me with that step. Wait till you see the good times everyone had in Whole Foods’ kitchens, and the gorgeous and tasty food these kids cooked up.