The following article appeared in the New York Times. In it, President Obama’s chef talks about how before becoming a White House chef, he was already thinking about changing the way American Children eat. It’s a must read for all parents and grandparents about why we must change the dynamics of what our children eat in school.
Click on the link below to read the full article.
Well: Obama’s New Chef Skewers School Lunches
By Tara Parker-Pope
Valentines day can sometimes be a stressful day. What do you get that special someone? Will they like it? Is it the right size? Is it enough? Through intensive Bistro Kids research,(the research consisted of Chef K emailing me recipes to put on the blog) she’s come up with some can’t miss tasty treats that will ease some of the stress of the day. We can’t help you buy your loved one(s) clothes but we can offer some fun things to do with those special people in the kitchen.
Happy Valentines day from all of us to all of you!
SWEET TREATS FOR VALENTINE’S
CHERRY PILLOWS
Ingredients Amount
Puff Pastry 2 sheets
Cherry Pie Filling 1 can
Method:
Thaw puff pastry on countertop. Using knife or cookie cutter cut into 4 in. squares.
Place spoonful of cherry pie filling in center and brings corners up to make pillow. Twist the top and pinch to secure.
Bake at 425° for 15 minutes, or till golden. Sprinkle w/ powdered sugar.
RICE KRISPY TREATS
Follow directions on rice krispy box. Add red food coloring and heart sprinkles before spreading into prepared pan.
LOVE POTION DRINK
Combine 1 scoop of rainbow sherbet with pink lemonade and ginger ale or 7up in cup. Stir and serve cold.
CUPID CUPCAKE
Make your favorite cupcake recipe. Frost. For wings: cut large marshmallow in half (snip widthwise for feathery look) and press against a thin pretzel stick. Push into cupcake. Use rice krispies for hair, decorator gel for eyes, mouth, and hands. Secure chocolate kiss or heart with icing and draw hands on top.
Before there was the Bistro Kids blog, we had…….nothing. But we were still making news about what we do. From time to time during the next couple of weeks I’m going to share with you some of the articles that were written about the company.
The following article appeared in the Sun Tribune on 9/13/07
On a recent warm afternoon at Oakhill Day School, some peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and bean burritos were evidence of a small culinary revolution.
The school is the first in Missouri and Kansas to take part in the Farm to School program, which provides locally sourced and healthy ingredients for school lunches. The program is run by Kiersten Firquain, owner and operator of Bistro Kids in Overland Park, Kan.
“Bistro Kids is a local business that works with local farmers and local schools to bring healthy foods to the school,” she said. “All of the food brought to Oakhill is locally sourced from farmers in a 100 mile radius, and when products are not from local farmers, we use organic and all-natural foods.”
Officials at the independent school had to completely overhaul the way lunch was served in order to accommodate the program. Previously, there were no hot lunches and students ate lunch in their classrooms. The school hired one of Firquain’s chefs, renovated its kitchen and converted the gymnasium into a cafeteria.
Now, all 235 students at Oakhill can purchase a $4 lunch, much of which is handmade by chef Jacqueline Bopp. The program is more labor intensive than a traditional school lunch room, said Leah Schembri, the school’s director of marketing and admissions.
“Jacqueline does all the preparation of the food,” she said. “She’s here at 7 a.m. every day to start preparing for lunch.”
Principal Suzanne McCanles said though some students expressed skepticism about the hormone-free milk, whole wheat bread and trans fat-free food, they were soon demanding more.
“Now they love it,” she said. “They love the choices, the variety.”
McCanles initiated the program when she took the principal’s post earlier this year. She wanted to create an environment that promoted healthy bodies and healthy minds. To that end, the school now has five-day-a-week physical education classes and a garden for science education and food.
“Not only do they have PE five days a week, they have a wonderful, healthy meal,” McCanles said.
Jenny Giles is a volunteer at the school and parent of two students. The new lunch program has changed the way her kids think about health and nutrition, she said.
“I’m happy as a parent because we try to eat the same way at home,” Giles said. “This program reinforces that.”
Second-grade teacher Kay Boyd said having lunch together also was a subtle form of social education.
“They’re learning how to behave themselves while they’re eating,” she said.
In the end, the enthusiastic diners at a recent lunch were proof enough of the program’s impact. A group of second-grade boys clustered at one end of a lunch table nodded when asked if they were enjoying their meal.
“It’s really nice to have a cafeteria and good food,” Jack Yosel said, summing up the mood of the group.
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.
If you are a follower of our blog you know by now that Chef Jasper has invited Chef K on to his radio show a time or two, or five. This time Chef K turned the table on Chef Jasper and invited him to Oakhill Day School to be the special guest for the students on Fun Friday. Now if you aren’t familiar with Fun Fridays, that’s a day when Bistro Kids invites someone special from the surrounding area in to the school to teach the kids about food and how it’s grown and produced among other things. Chef K taped a segment of the Fun Friday spectacular to put on Chef Jaspers show the next day.
I’ve posted an audio feed below for you to listen to. Now don’t panic and think the movie isn’t working…..it’s simply an audio in movie form. Enjoy….from the sound of it, everyone at the event enjoyed it as well.
done
This just in to the Bistro Kids world headquarters, Chef K has been asked to appear on Chef Jaspers radio show LIVE! From Jaspers Kitchen, Saturday January 31st at 11:00 a.m from the Hen House Market at 135th and Metcalf, and you are invited to attend the show! This show is top secret, meaning no one has told me what they are going to do on the show, but as history shows when these two get together, it’s alot of fun. So be sure and tune in on your radio to 710am or on the worldwide web at www.710kcmo.com at 11 a.m. Or head over to the Hen House market to join in on the fun.
LIVE! From Jasper’s Kitchen is sponsored by Hen House Market. Be sure and check them out at www.henhouse.com for their latest savings and food ideas.
We love fixing lunch for our Bistro Kids, and we love sharing what we make with you. This time it’s Pizza wheels, made from Whole Wheat flour. And of course the rest of the ingredients are all natural, healthy and organic from local food sources around the Kansas City area. Alot of love is put into our food by everyone involved and our payback is seeing the kids enjoy the Pizza Wheels.
Top Chef has……….well the winner of Top Chef. Bistro Kids has……Jr. Chef Lindsay who if you recall made the Awesomely Awesome Milkshake which I might add is………are you ready?…….brace yourself…………here it goes………..AWESOME! (you can scroll down this blogsite and check it out on the Big Screen) Her latest masterpiece is the Rainbow Buffet, and does it ever look good. She and her Mom found the recipe in a Family Fun cookbook, and Chef Lindsay made it with all healthy fruits and vegetables in the shape of a rainbow to make it more fun to eat. The colors are:
She made it to share with her family for lunch and her mother tells me it was “AWESOME”.
Thanks to Lindsay and her mother Julie for sharing this with us. Lindsay? We here at Bistro Kids think you are Awesomely Awesome!
If you have a recipe that your little chef put together and would like to share with us, send a photo and a description to phil@bistrokids.com and I’ll be sure and post it here for others to enjoy!
