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Pink and Dude Chefs Expands to Shandon


Students from ShandonStudents at Shandon Elementary School enjoy Pink and Dude Chefs' Family Fiesta.

Since 2008, STRIDE’s Pink and Dude Chefs have provided nutrition education and culinary skills training to middle-school students in San Luis Obispo County. Last year, the program expanded to include an implementation at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, which was part of an ongoing collaboration with research scholars from Vanderbilt University. Pink and Dude Chefs' reach continued to grow this year with an implementation of the program at Shandon Elementary School. STRIDE’s Erin Morini, a second year nutrition major at Cal Poly and current Health Ambassador, was the site manager for the Fall 2014 program in Shandon. She taught cooking and nutrition lessons and collected data on the program’s efficacy.

The Shandon Pink and Dude Chefs differed from past implementations of the program in that Morini supported YMCA coordinators who participated in an online training and then led the program. Mornini used her knowledge of the curriculum and previous Pink and Dude Chefs experience to provide assistance and classroom support at the new site.

“This group of students was less experienced than previous groups, so we really had to start with the basics. It was great to see their progress throughout the quarter,” Morini said. This progress was clear at the Family Fiesta, the culminating event of the program, at which students prepared a full meal for their families and friends to enjoy. 

“Our most popular dishes were the baked chicken strips, sweet potato fries, personality pies, and the most surprising one, tofu!” Mornini said. “I could tell that the students were really proud when they presented the food at the Family Fiesta. All their hard work paid off, and the food was delicious.”

Pink and Dude Chefs is also running programs in Arroyo Grande, Calif., and Nashville, Tenn., both sites are part of ongoing collaborative research between scholars at Cal Poly and Vanderbilt University. For more information on this partnership, read STRIDE’s Community Partners column. 

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