Elizabeth Journet used to feed her nine‐year‐old daughter, Starla, and her siblings what she thought was kid‐friendly food: things like chicken nuggets and French fries. But, after Starla began attending hands‐on cooking classes at Common Threads, mom started to notice a marked difference in Starla that affected the whole family.
“Now, Starla asks me to change what I give the kids for dinner,” says Elizabeth. “For example, she asks for salad, or she asks if, instead of just rice, we can try some veggies on it.”
Starla is also eager to lend a hand in the kitchen. “The classes have made me feel more encouraged to cook at home,” Starla says. “ I like to cook meat and different vegetables, and I like telling my mom how to cook food from different countries.”
In addition to learning about foods that are good for her, Starla loves the cultural curriculum that Common Threads provides. “You make lots of different foods from different places, and it’s so fun and interesting to learn about new parts of the world!”
Starla’s mom is impressed with her daughter’s new enthusiasm. “
I have a buddy in the kitchen now, and sometimes I’m her assistant when we make things,” Elizabeth says. “She definitely wants to do more with recipes and eating right, and that makes me work harder as a mom.”
Every year, Common Threads teaches 1,000 low‐income children, just like Starla, how to cook wholesome and affordable food because we believe that through our hands‐on cooking classes we can help prevent childhood obesity and reverse the trend of generations of non‐cookers, while celebrating our cultural differences and the things people all over the world have in common.
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