Celebrity chef’s tip for healthy living

By Melissa Donchi
ACCORDING to celebrity chef Stephanie Alexander, the key to healthy living doesn’t just require fresh produce it also involves a hand-on approach.
Ms Alexander paid a surprise visit to the Upper Yarra recently to share some of her insights into healthy eating and lifestyles and talk about her new kitchen garden program.
About 80 excited guests including Mayor Tim Heenan and councillor Monica Keene turned up at Wesburn Primary School to find out about the program Ms Alexander is implementing in 24 schools across the state through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
The Kitchen Garden Program began in July 2001 at Collingwood College in inner Melbourne and saw 120 children across grades three to six spend 40 minutes each week in a 600 square metre extensive vegetable garden which they helped design, build and maintain on the school grounds following organic gardening principles.
They also spent one and a half hours each week in a revamped home-economics kitchen preparing and sharing a wonderful variety of meals created from their produce.
Ms Alexander drew on personal experience to emphasise the intrinsic link between the garden, the kitchen and the table.
“I came from a family where shelling the peas or collecting food for the evening meal from the backyard vegetable garden was a normal daily event,” Ms Alexander said.
“We ate together around a big table and learnt valuable social skills, an experience which is missing in many families today.”
While part of the program is learning about food and eating it, Ms Alexander said a strong commitment was also important which is why it is a compulsory part of the school’s program for four years of the child’s life.
The program relies heavily on volunteers and funding and many of the guests at Wesburn Primary School filled out pledge forms to show their support.
Ms Alexander was not shy to admit that she sees this program as a bit of a revolution, one which will take hold and build the momentum for creating a new generation of children.
“A generation which will have the information they need to make good food choices.”
Wesburn Primary School principal Anne Stenhouse felt that there had been a positive response toward the program overall, and is looking forward to establishing strong community links to make the Kitchen Garden Program a huge success.
She urges anyone interested in finding out more, or those wishing to pledge their support, to contact the school directly on 5967 1302.