Urban roots is providing seed to table education with their ‘Little Chefs’ program.

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Improving family meal time with seed to table education.

“I want my little guy to learn how to chop and make recipes that are kid friendly,” said Lauren Satterlee, a parent whose child is in the program.

The non profit is always working to change the way communities eat and learn through garden based education. The newest program Urban Roots offers is teaching children how to cook. Little Chefs, an extension of the Little Gardeners program, is a series of cooking workshops, that teaches kids how to harvest and cook seasonal produce. For children of pre school age, it provides opportunities to enjoy a sensory experiences at the nonprofit’s teaching farm. The classes, are even instructed by Urban Roots’ registered dietician, Anastasia Gavrilets, and focus on a monthly curriculum.

“As a registered dietitian and gardening enthusiast, I am delighted to provide the Little Chefs workshop at Urban Roots. Here, children connect with their food, explore the outdoors, and learn valuable life skills. They love the farm exploration, playing with dirt, and creating tasty dishes from scratch. With farm-fresh ingredients, we emphasize the joy of seasonal eating and foster lifelong well-being. Our aim is to expand this program, making it accessible to more families and providing children with hands-on cooking and farm-to-table learning experiences,” Gavrilets said.

Abi Damp, the Development Coordinator for Urban Roots, says having the food be fresh picked right from the garden and onto the table for preparation, gives kids and parents more insight into their food.

“They really like the autonomy of being able to see what’s getting put into their food and being in charge of putting it together,” said Damp.

Little Gardeners runs seasonally in the spring and the fall, and goes from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on various days throughout the month. Participants will also enjoy story time, planting and harvesting activities, and opportunities to socialize with other children. All Little Chefs participants go home with the day’s recipe and one ingredient used that day.

“Here we really try to teach children where the food comes from and that you can do it yourself at home too,” said Damp.

Sessions for 2023 have ended but will pick back up in March of 2024. To apply you can find the registration on their website.

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