Oakhill Lunch Survey

At the end of the year we sent out a questionaire to the students and asked for their feedback on what they liked, didn’t like, want to see more of, and of course would like to see less of.  We value their comments and strive to meet the needs of the students, in preparing healthy delicious meals each and everyday of the school year.  And while we know we can’t please everyone, everyday, we strive to make the students as a whole………happy.  Because with Bistro Kids…………..healthy kids learn better!

We posed the question “What foods would you like to see more of”? And some of the foods were:

Burritos, chicken fried steak, sloppy joes, breakfast, yogurt, mashed potatos, cheese sticks, BLT’s, omlets, lasagna, veggie pizzas, cheesy mashed potatos, sweet potato fries, strawberries, meatloaf, smoothies, watermelon, bagels, clementines, tofu, pasta, fishsticks, crab, BBQ,  brownies, cookies, mangos, and meatball subs among the many items. 

And while we do alot of those items now, we certainly want to see what we can do to bring some of these items into the students daily lunches.

Some of the foods students said they would like to see less of are as follows:

Jello, veggies, deviled eggs and “some pizzas”

What would get you to eat more BK lunches:

more tacos
more sandwiches
cheaper prices
alt food options on fridays
salad bar every day
layer helpings
daily fruit bar
I would eat more food if we had more food
more fruit and chicken
more pasta
watching them cook- internship
more pasta and steamed rice and s&s chick w/sauce
dessert
more kid friendly meals
more mexican
cookies and cake
smoothies
more variety daily
less soup
package deal offer incentive to choose more lunches
having a dessert
orange jello with mandarin oranges
more mac n cheese
What is your favorite part of lunch: Staying healthy Yummy Sidedishes Chef Montana very good lunch program: focus on health and fun fruit and cheese the great food Having the opportunity to try new things Pizza and salad bar Friday fruit bar Fun Fridays The chance to have seconds Talking with the girls, fun fridays.  The entrees Salad Bar What is your least favorite part of lunch: Having to hurry Non teachers not able to participate Leaving Side Dishes Drink choices Only 1 cup of milk Food is sometimes cold When it’s brown or overcooked Coleslaw What is your favorite part of cooking class: I like how we learn to cook      I love the different recipes we make   liking how it tastes when  I didn’t think I would   chef Katy       I like when we make spinach dip     I like the chef and the food     I love the cooking classes     want to have more of them     I love cooking class!       like what we make and get to eat. But dislike it taking up study hall time I don’t like it when they end     they are awesome!       we get to eat stuff, but would like to have a choice in what we cook love when chef Katy visits class     everything!       do not like that it takes up our enrichment class time   would like the recipes     I like cooking so I like eating the food after cooking it   I like how we get to learn about making new foods   love the cooking classes!     it’s fun       I like all the foods we make     chef katy  is fun!       kids get to do chopping     tasting and helping to make it     I love everything  Student comments: Its hard to think what I didn’t like because I like it so much!         the food service has been fantastic this year and portions are now just right!       let the kids choose the different foods           entrée could sometimes be bigger             I love the new lunch program             would like to get the recipes from cooking class           The chefs are very friendly             I really like the food I eat for lunch because its healthy and good. Also its great that we can have seconds and surveys.   I really like almost everything that you make so I wouldn’t change anything.       would like if portion sizes were bigger for 6-8 grade w/out having to pay more       You need the food to be hot when you serve us           we think chef k does a fantastic job day in and day out. She works hard on behalf of the children making yummy healthy lunches. Thank you! everything is good and tasty from the farm 2 school program         it would be fun to use the same recipes from cooking class for lunch and vice versa       I think the lunches are wonderful             the food is good

Outstanding in the Field Dining Series

From Callen Fairchild Zind – Director of Marketing & Events at Powell Gardens:

Missouri will be featured on this year’s Outstanding in the Field dining series for the first time ever! 

Chef Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore will be guest chef for an Outstanding in the Field event at Powell Gardens on Wednesday, July 29th.  To make your reservation at the table, please visit the Outstanding in the Field website. 

Outstanding in the Field is the wildly successful roving culinary adventure that travels North America during the harvest season. The experience begins with a tour of the location – typically a local farm – then guests join farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and share the seasonally fresh meal set at a long table. The table is located outdoors at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. Occasionally the it is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table. Ingredients for the meal are almost all local and most come from the host farm. Meals are generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. 

Outstanding in the Field has come a long way since 1999 when founder Jim Denevan first started convincing people it was valuable and interesting to dine ‘out in a field’ with the farmers. Even in the midst of economic difficulty, or perhaps even more so because of it, people want to get out there, take a look around, celebrate farmers and farming and sit together to share a meal.  Learn more at www.outstandinginthefield.com.

Just a quick note

 This group uses Beef and Bison that are grass fed, hormone free and locally sourced.  Bread is whole wheat and locally sourced.  The pasta and rice that are used are 50% whole wheat.  All seasonal products used are locally sourced.  Wraps and tortillas are trans fat free and locally sourced.  Dairy products are hormone free and guess what………..locally sourced.  All food that they prepare is made from scratch with the most nutrient rich ingredients available!  Sound good to you?  Want to know who makes such great food? 

Scroll down to find out……….

 

 

Keep going……………….

 

 

Just a little bit farther…………………

 

 

 

Almost there………………………..

 

 

 

Ready?

 

 

OUR STUDENTS ARE WORTH IT!

New Demonstration Kitchen at KU Med open to the public

Lisa Markley, Nutrition Educator/Outpatient Dietitian for the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, sent out an email the other day to announce the opening of their new Demonstration Kitchen at KU Med.  She shared with us some information about the new “edible classroom” which I want to pass on to you:

Classes will focus on promoting healthy eating and preparing various foods to help alleviate specific health conditions (e.g. cancer, heart disease, gluten-free diet, etc.).

The class calendar will change monthly and can be viewed at http://integrativemed.kumc.edu/nutrition_classes_calendar.htm.

Classes are open to the public and held in the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Directions: http://integrativemed.kumc.edu/directions.htm.

The kitchen is fully equipped and is a small, intimate space that can accommodate about 5-6 students.

Private custom-made one-on-one or group classes can be scheduled. Would be good for individualized instruction or make for a fun team-building activity or group gift for a bride-to-be.

The kitchen has a “green mission”, which includes recycling, composting food waste, buying in bulk, and emphasizing whole foods that are local/seasonal/organic

She mentions in her email that they anticipate expanding the calendar to include additional nutrition educators, local chefs, and guest farmers. 

It’s a great opportunity for you to educate yourself more about healthy food/healthy eating.  It’s a lifestyle change your family will thank you for. 

Stay tuned to the blog for updates regarding this wonderful program.

Urban Farms and Gardens Tour 2009

Next week is the kick-off event for the Kansas City Urban Farms & Gardens Tour 2009 , starting with:

Thursday, June 18, 6:00-8:00pm

Cultivating Kansas City: Food from the City, For the City

Kansas City Central Library

14 West 10th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105

What can and should a growing Kansas City look like? Imagine backyards, empty lots, public lands, and “empty” space being used for growing fruits, vegetables and more. A panel of growers, community activists, and educators will share their vision for a Kansas City that produces more of its own food.  Ben Sharda, Kansas City Community Gardens, Daniel Dermitzel, Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, Gretchen Kunkel, KC Healthy Kids, Joe Jennings, farmer and educator, Katherine Kelly, Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, and Tina Wright, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, will offer their thoughts and visions. A reception featuring local and organic food and beverages precedes the talk.

 

Urban Farms… Feed the People

Sunday, June 21, 3:00-4:30pm

Starting an Urban Farm

Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture

4223 Gibbs Road

Kansas City, KS 66106

Most people who go into urban farming are folks whose gardening habit got out of control. Their garden overtook their lawn, the empty lot next door, and part of the neighbor’s back yard, and all of a sudden they need more land, farming infrastructure, and a new set of skills on how to grow at a bigger scale and how to manage a new farm business. This workshop will introduce you to the basics of starting an urban farm.

 

Other events next week: 

 

Wednesday, June 17

1st of four “Food Not Lawns” Communiversity classes, www.umkc.edu/commu

Eve: Mini Market Tour at Farmers’ Markets, KC Food Circle, www.kcfoodcircle.org

Thursday, June 18

2pm: Make a Batch of Body Butter for teenagers, Southeast Library, www.kclibrary.org

6pm: Tour Kick-Off Event! Cultivating Kansas City: Food from the City, For the City, Kansas City Central Library, www.kclibrary.org

Eve: Mini Market Tour at Farmers’ Markets, KC Food Circle, www.kcfoodcircle.org

Friday, June 19

7pm: My Blooming Garden, Family Night at the Plaza Library, www.kclibrary.org

Eve: Mini Market Tour at Farmers’ Markets, KC Food Circle, www.kcfoodcircle.org

Saturday, June 20

Morning: Mini Market Tour at Farmers’ Markets, KC Food Circle, www.kcfoodcircle.org

10am: Raw Food Basics, Communiversity, Tony Aguirre Community Center, www.umkc.edu/ commu

2pm: Farm Animals in the City, Lincoln University Extension, Ruiz Branch Library, www.kclibrary.org

TBA: Osage Indian Horticulture & Diet, Jackson County Parks & Rec, www.co.jackson.mo.us/

Sunday, June 21

2pm: How to Eat Local in Kansas City, Trails West Library, www.kclibrary.org

3-4:30pm: Starting an Urban Farm, Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, www.kccua.org

 

All events are free (unless stated otherwise). 

 

Buy your tickets now- it is going to be a great event!

For more information, visit the Farms and Gardens Tour website at: www.urbanfarmstourkc.com

Come Celebrate! June 24th 2009

Hillary Brown from Local Burger writes:

Please save the date (June 24, 2009, 7-9pm at Liberty Hall) for a terrific and fun event (please see poster below) honoring the folks that have been working hard for sustainable food before sustainable food was the thing.  These folks deserve recognition for their behind the scenes work for food-with-integrity that celebrates our regional culture and community.  There will be a wonderful presentation by economist Ken Meter – he is an amazing speaker and he has done tremendous research on the economic potential of foods grown and raised in the Kansas River Valley – his results will astound you.  There will be a wide array of local foods (prepared by The Merc and Local Burger) for everyone to munch on – all grown and raised by skilled sustainable farmers and ranchers in our community. 

Last month, representatives of our local and sustainable food economy went to Japan for 10 days and learned a lot about how the Japanese are creating local and organic food economies. The Japan delegation of local and organic producers will be in town the week of this event to learn what types of things the Kansas River Valley is doing to improve our local food economy.
 
It is our hope that this will become an annual event celebrating the stars of local foods.  Help get it started off right this year by celebrating and recognizing the Local Foods Pioneers in our region.

 

This event is sponsored by the Global Partners for Local and Organic Foods, The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund of Douglas County, The Kansas Rural Center, The Merc, and Local Burger.So please come join us from 7-9pm Wednesday June 24th!   For a mere $5 you get access to great local food, great music, a great presenter, fabulous guests from Japan, and you get to recognize the folks committed to real food, real community and a real economy ~ the pioneers of local and organic agriculture in the Kansas River Valley.

 

 

 

Chef K adds a new hat.

She’s an owner of a business, she’s a chef, she’s a mom, she’s a roving reporter?  Really?  Yes, folks you heard it here first, or maybe you heard it from her before you heard it here…..anyway, Chef K is going to be doing another “roving report” for the LIVE! From Jasper’s Kitchen on 710 am KCMO radio, Saturday June 6th at 12:00 p.m. central standard time.  She will be interviewing Chef Gary Puetz who is traveling around the various Kansas City Hen House stores to promote Copper River Salmon.  She will also be inquiring into Hen House making FRESH mozzerella which is made at each location between 2 – 4pm.  (my sources tell me that it’s sooooooo fresh and sooooooooooooo good, that it doesn’t stay around long, so if you want some, get there that day) 

As always what makes the show the show that it is, is…..Chef Jasper.  His enthusiasm and love for food is at the top of the charts and you can’t help but want to learn more about the various food products he is talking about.  Be sure and tune in on your AM dial 710 or you can listen to the show on the web at www.710kcmo.com. 

Saturday, June 6th 12pm c.s.t.

Coming to a Library near you…Eating local in KC

The following is from Ralph Tomlinson, Adult Services Librarian for Olathe Public Library

As part of the activities leading up to the Greater Kansas City Urban Farm Tour 2009, local libraries in Independence, MO, and Olathe, KS, are featuring the following program:

“How to Eat Local in KC” – hosted by Season Burnett (Director of the Kansas City CSA Coalition) and Emily Akins (member of the Kansas City Food Circle Coordinating Committee)

How can you reach out to your community while at the same time finding local, sustainable methods for buying, making, and growing your own food? Come learn and share information about the exploding number of Kansas City’s local and organic farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture and CSAs, community and school gardening, preserving, and other local-food efforts promoted by some fantastic organizations actively involved in our local “foodshed.” As you grow more inspired, you can find out how to help your friends and neighbors “go local”!

* Thursday, June 11, 7 p.m., Olathe Public Library, 201 E. Park St., Olathe, KS 66061 (call 913.971.6888 to register)
* Sunday, June 21, 2 p.m., Trails West Branch of the KCMO Library, 11401 East 23rd Street, Independence, MO 64052 (call 816.701.3483 for more information) RSVP Now for Trails West Event

For information on other events throughout the month of June and for tickets for Urban Farm Tour 2009, go to http://urbanfarmstourkc.com/

Oakhill Food Fair

Anyone ever hear the old saying, “Never play with your food,” as a kid?  Yes?  A thousand times?  Well at Bistro Kids we like to throw that rule out………………occassionally.  During a recent food fair at Oakhill school, students got to do just that, PLAY WITH FOOD.   Several events filled the day with fun, laughter and well……….food. 

Here’s a list of the events:

• Carrot Hop
• Coconut Bowling (my personal favorite)
• Watermelon Weightlifting
• Strawberry Relay

Now I don’t have the final results of who won what events, but I do know that many of the key instruments had bites taken out of them.  Some of the culprits had the evidence either on their face or dripping down their shirts.  It was a great day, everyone had good time and at Bistro Kids that’s what it’s all about………..FUN! 

Katie had just finished putting on her glasses only to find out there would be no running of the honey bee’s this year.

Is that Peter Cottontail? Hopping down, ummm the bunny trail?

Strike a pose!

He was well on his way to a future in bowling till the coconut split in half and ruined the dream.

Tom Cruise is top watermelon dude before Top Gun

She looked into the crystal ball to find her future…wait…it’s only a coconut

Why yes I can balance this on my head……watch.

Ahhhhnold Schwartzamelon

Itsths sthimply a cawwot in my mouf….wook…..sthee?

Itths sthimply a cawwot in her mouf too……sthee?

Who’s the adult here?

Which came first? The carrot or the coconut?

This isn’t any easier than an egg!!!

Everyone ran from the rolling watermelons except for Billy. He didn’t check his email.

Keep your paws off that carrot, rabbit!

Look mom! No paws!

What? You run with em? Oops!

Dude! Wait till after the race!

Words to ponder

To eat is a necessity, to eat intelligently is an art. 

- La Rochefoucauld