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- FCS Spotlight, Northeast Region - July 2022
by Qunicy Vidrine
Youth from all over Franklin parish experienced the first ever KidChef & TeenChef Camps in Crowville, LA. The LSU AgCenter, Friends of Crowville, First Baptist Church of Crowville, and Northeast Louisiana Power Cooperative provided funding, facilities, volunteers, and instructors to host a three-day culinary experience for 48 kids and teens.
This event is part of the Healthy Communities initiative with the LSU AgCenter and Friends of Crowville. Teaching youth proper cooking techniques, kitchen safety and food safety, along with nutrition and healthy living facts will empower them to become healthier and more productive citizens.
TeenChef Camp (ages 12-18) was conducted in the morning and KidChef (ages 9-12) Camp was in the afternoon. Everyday the youth participated in food safety and kitchen safety education sessions and learned about USDA’s MyPlate nutrition education principles.
Overall favorites for the week were the knife skills sessions where they learned to cut, chop, slice, and dice food safely. Coming it at a close second were the sessions where they made beef fajitas and chicken taco bowls. Fruit smoothies were also a crowd favorite, along with muffin meatloaf and air “fried” carrots! Participants tried ALL the foods they cooked, as this is the #1 rule of KidChef/TeenChef! Plans are in the works for future workshops in the Crowville area for both youth and adult audiences. Friends of Crowville seek to provide education opportunities to help the people of their town lead more healthful lives. Mr. Nick Poulos, a representative of the group says “Friends of Crowville was honored to partner with the LSU AgCenter to offer the first ever Crowville Kids/Teen Chef Cooking School. We are grateful to LSU AgCnter and their team for the positive impact this partnership made in our community.” Mrs. Renee Ward, also with Friends of Crowville says “As a volunteer of the three-day event and member of the Friends of Crowville, it was such a great experience to witness the students learn cooking skills and participate in food preparation/safety, and to become knowledgeable in making nutritional recipes/choices with numerous cooking devices.” Mrs. Ward went on to comment “Quincy and her staff were professional, efficient, and great with the kids.” Another entity that aided with the camps was the Rural Heart and Lung Study for Franklin parish. Kevin Carol, representative and recruiter for the study helped out every day and we are very thankful to him for donating his time to assist!