Lunch Lessons

By Brenda Iasevoli

Chefs across the country are on a mission. They plan to make school lunches both nutritious and delicious.

On a recent Saturday at a KIPP school in Washington, D.C., students picked basil in their rooftop garden. Then they shaped pizza dough and sprinkled the herb on it. Pepperoni, their favorite topping, was nowhere in sight.

"Kids will eat different foods if you introduce them in a fun way, chef Spike Mendelsohn told TFK. He teaches cooking classes at KIPP schools in D.C.

Mendelsohn is one of more than 1,000 chefs who have joined the Chefs Move to Schools program. They teach kids to cook. They help plant school gardens and create healthy recipes for cafeterias. The program is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign to end childhood obesity.

More Lunch Money?

Schools serve packaged foods because they cost less. But these meals are often loaded with preservatives, fat and salt. "We've got to get our schools cooking for our kids again," says chef Rachael Ray.

Ray and other chefs asked Congress to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. It calls for larger servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in school meals. Schools will get more money if the bill becomes a law. (Congress must pass a bill before the President can sign it into law.)

Give Peas a Chance

Putting peas and other veggies on the plate may be the easy part. Can chefs convince kids to give them a try?

After the cooking lesson at KIPP DC, Mendelsohn served pizza topped with butternut squash, goat cheese and red-onion jam. Students ate it up. "You won't know if you'll like it unless you try it," says Mariah Sands, a fifth grader. Those are words to eat by!

To watch a video about Chefs Move to Schools, go to timeforkids.com/chefs.