FAME CHURCH HOSTS HEALTHY EATING COOKING CLASS

On Saturday August 28, 15 members of the First AME Church of Los Angeles (FAME) graduated a 6-week healthy eating cooking class sponsored by FAME Church and the FAME So Fresh Produce Market and taught by Operation Frontline.  This is one of FAME’s several nutrition outreach initiatives supported under its Health & Nutrition services department and its grant from The State of California’s Network for a Healthy California African American Campaign.

FAME is a long time advocate of improving health for members of the South Los Angeles community. Members of the FAME congregation were offered these free classes to continue celebrating the importance of integrating a healthy mind, body and spirit.

“Operation Frontline is a groundbreaking cooking-based nutrition education program that teaches families how to prepare healthy and delicious meals on a limited budget,” said Pastor John J. Hunter. “In continuing our efforts to bring this education to our congregation and our community, we were delighted to partner with Operation Frontline  in offering this class and look forward to collaborating in the future.”

Classes  were held on Saturday mornings for two hours. During class, participants learned how to prepare and cook a meal, received a nutrition education lesson, and left with a grocery bag full of the same ingredients so they would be able to make the same meal at home for their families. Chef Michael Protus taught the meal preparation, which included such delectable dishes as turkey soft tacos, pasta and collard greens, and a vegetable frittata. Participants were fully engaged in learning to cook the meal, and learned important kitchen skills as well as health and safety tips for food handling and preparation. Students were taught tricks of the trade such as how to use seasoning to make dishes flavorful rather than sugar, salt and fat and how to incorporate more vegetables into every meal. The lesson plan for week five included a grocery store shopping trip where the class had to respond to the challenge and purchase a grocery bag of foodstuffs in order to prepare a meal for a family of four that cost less than ten dollars. Participants also learned how to select fresh produce, how to read nutrition labels, and how to be savvy shoppers.

The graduation class culminated with an “Iron Chef” inspired cook off where the students were divided into three teams of five. The “secret ingredients” were kale and fresh corn and participants had 10 minutes to plan, 10 minutes to shop and 45 minutes to cook. Teams were assisted by three chefs and a nutritionist who provided guidance and oversaw the food preparation. All teams did a great job and made such culinary delights as a kale and corn chicken stir fry, a turkey and rice main dish with a bean and corn side salad, and a cold pasta salad with fresh vegetables and sautéed greens.

“Students ranged in age and experience from a man in his sixties who had never cooked or shopped for groceries on his own in his life, to an eighteen year old woman who recently made a commitment to lead a healthier lifestyle and lost twelve pounds during the course of the class,” said First Lady Denise Hunter. “For these 15 people their lives have changed. They will cook differently moving forward, and it is our hope that their new skills and knowledge will be shared with their families, friends and colleagues.”
For more information on FAME programs, Operation Frontline and to download free healthy recipes, go to www.famechurch.org , www.operationfrontline.org or the Network for a Healthy California website www.cachampionsforchange.net.