Jacksonville Culinard Program Director Takes Role in White House Nutrition Initiative
Posted: Monday, June 7, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama has taken nutrition and the battle against childhood obesity as one of her top projects, and has enlisted the aid of White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass as the coordinator of the effort. As part of that, a "Chefs Move to Schools" initiative has been started by Mrs. Obama, and a member of the staff from the Culinard culinary school at Virginia College in Jacksonville, Florida, has been invited to play a major role.
"Chefs Move to Schools" will pair chefs with schools in their communities to bring fun to fruits and vegetables, and teach kids about food, nutrition and cooking in an engaging way. By working with school food service employees, administrators and teachers, chefs can help deliver these messages from the cafeteria to the classroom.
The First Lady hosted some key participants in the program to a kickoff event recently in Washington, DC, including a reception at the White House. Among them was Mary Schaefer, the program director at Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College location in Jacksonville, Florida.
While they gathered in the White House garden, Mrs. Obama told Chef Schaefer and her colleagues, "You have tremendous power as leaders on this issue because of your deep knowledge of food and nutrition and your ability to deliver these messages in a fun and delicious way. I want to thank you for joining the 'Chefs Move to Schools' campaign."
"I am thrilled to be a part of this initiative and honored to have Culinard play such a big role," says Schaefer.