Pink and Dude Chefs Roll Out New Curriculum

Pink and Dude Chefs, an after-school nutrition and culinary program designed for middle school students, introduced a new curriculum during fall quarter. Titled "Around the World," the curriculum explores international foods. Each week features cuisine from a different country, including France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Japan and Thailand. Program coordinator Jaime Lockhart said that Around the World not only taught kids how to cook healthy and delicious meals for themselves and their families but also allowed them to explore the culture and cuisine of each country.

This additional curriculum for Pink and Dude Chefs brought some exciting changes. Fourteen chefs participated — the largest group to date — with more Dude chefs than ever before. Also, the program was given a total makeover by members of STRIDE’s PR team, complete with new, modern logos and unique branding.

This phase focused on having the chefs share what they learned with their families and friends to spread nutrition knowledge and healthy habits. Lockhart said that the recipes from Around the World were more challenging than the previous curriculum, Let’s Get Started, but kids still learned basic kitchen skills.

On November 22nd, the six-week session concluded with a Pink and Dude Chefs’ Family Fiesta. At the Family Fiesta, the students prepared some of their favorite dishes for their families and friends to showcase their progress and newfound culinary skills.

The Around the World curriculum will be used again for the next session of Pink and Dude Chefs during winter quarter, and Lockhart expects to see some returning chefs.