Tag: il teatro

World Class Chefs + 1,000 Students Celebrate School Garden Harvest Fest

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kihei elementary school students prepare stir fry ingredients with garden grown veggies For three full days, April 24-26, world-class chefs led garden recipe workshops with more than 950 students in nearly a quarter-acre of garden space in the heart of the Kihei Elementary School campus. Kindergarten through 5th grade students and chefs prepared Asian stir-fry and gourmet veggie pizzas using ingredients grown and harvested from the school’s Pizza Garden and Gardens of the World. Students chopped, peeled and spiced their garden delights before chefs tossed them into a giant wok and wood-fired pizza oven and served it up in a pop-up café to celebrate the school’s annual Harvest Fest.

Private Maui Chef Dan Fiske and Capische? Chef de Cuisine Christopher Kulis assist Kihei Elementary School students in preparing garden-grown ingredients for a stir fry recipeNow in its sixth year, Kihei Elementary School garden, managed by Grow Some Good, has become a model program for integrating sustainability and nutrition into curriculum while inspiring future farmers, chefs, scientists, teachers and entrepreneurs on Maui. “We have observed children who are shy or those who don’t do well in the classroom, blossom just like the plants they are cultivating,” says Halle Maxwell, Kihei Elementary School Principal.

Grow Some Good is a nonprofit community program dedicated to creating hands-on, outdoor learning experiences that cultivate curiosity about natural life cycles, connect students to their food sources, and inspire better nutrition choices. In addition to helping establish food gardens and living science labs in local schools, the organization provides resources and curriculum support through community partnerships in agriculture, science, food education and nutrition. For more information about Grow Some Good, visit GrowSomeGood.org.Private chef Jana McMahon assists Kihei Elementary School students in creating school garden veggie pizzas

MAHALO TO OUR CHEFS!

MAHALO to Elyse Ditzel of Whole Foods Market Kahului for donating extra local produce to the Harvest Fest!

And, as always, MAHALO TO OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS who make these special events run smoothly and inspire greater nutrition for our keiki!

– Nio Kindla, Terry Huth, Kathy Becklin, Dania Katz, Eric Ulman, Ray and Laura Van Wagner, Connie Mark, Jordan Lauren Claymore, Wyatt Gouveia, Anthony LaBua, Sierra Knight and Ruby Ayers… you are AWESOME! We couldn’t do this without you!

Grow Some Good Benefit Raises More than $18,000!

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Mahalo nui loa to more than 250 friends of Grow Some Good who attended our school gardens benefit last Saturday at Hotel Wailea. We are thrilled at the incredibly warm reception received from the community and excited to grow some more good in the neighborhood!

World-class chefs prepare amazing cuisine from school garden ingredients at "Maui Chefs Grow Some Good - A Sunset Taste of School Gardens" March 2, 2013. Left to right: Chefs Brian Etheredge (Capische? & Il Teatro), Dan Fiske (Private Maui Chef), Peleg Miron (Spago), Christopher Kulis (Capische? & Il Teatro), Kristen Etheredge (Private Maui Chef), Samuel Faggetti (Four Seasons Resort Maui), Nicholas Porreca (Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante), and Eric Mitchell (The Outrigger Pizza Company)
Left to right: Chefs Brian Etheredge (Capische? & Il Teatro), Dan Fiske (Private Maui Chef), Peleg Miron (Spago), Christopher Kulis (Capische? & Il Teatro), Kristen Etheredge (Private Maui Chef), Samuel Faggetti (Four Seasons Resort Maui), Nicholas Porreca (Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante), and Eric Mitchell (The Outrigger Pizza Company)

The benefit was our first annual event and raised more than $18,000 to assist school gardens serving nearly 2,000 students on Maui. Special thanks to Marty Dread and Maui’s world class chefs who harvested produce with our students, then kept the crowd entertained while they feasted on delicious cuisine prepared from school garden ingredients. Not only do these chefs raise funds for school gardens, they also mentor students during recipe workshops to improve nutrition choices with localicious recipes!

Premiere chefs participated from Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante, Capische? & Il Teatro, Spago, Private Maui Chef, and The Outrigger Pizza Company. Featured sponsors: First Wind, Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine, Four Seasons Resort and Hotel Wailea. Thanks to your support, Grow Some Good is expanding our programs to reach more keiki on Maui.

Check out photos by Peter Liu on Flickr.

Photography: Peter Liu PeterLiu47.comFor those of you just getting to know us, Grow Some Good is a nonprofit community program dedicated to creating hands-on, outdoor learning experiences that cultivate curiosity about natural life cycles, connect students to their food sources, and inspire better nutrition choices. In addition to helping establish food gardens and living science labs in local schools, we provide resources and curriculum support through partnerships in agriculture, science, food education and nutrition.

Dig into all the good things growing in our schools!  Check out our volunteer page for more information or donate online. You can also join keep in touch via Facebook and Twitter.

Mahalo Nui Loa to Our Sponsors

    
        

 

Special thanks to:
Tri-Isle Resource Conservation & Development
Mulligan’s on the Blue
Chef Jana McMahon
Maui Culinary Academy
Wailea Golf Club
Four Winds Maui
Ali’i Kula Lavender
Kinaole Grill
Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods
Edible Hawaiian Islands Magazine
Surf Rents Trucks

… And every wonderful teacher, parent, volunteer and local business that digs in to help school gardens on Maui thrive!

Dear Governor Abercrombie…

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South Maui School Gardens Project bag and letter to Gov. Neil Abercrombie

On May 15, South Maui School Gardens Project joined Kihei Elementary School students, volunteers and our chef sponsors from Capische? and PrivateMauiChef.com to cater lunch for Hawai’i State Governor Neil Abercrombie and his staff, following a talk story event at the MACC.  Lunches prepared with organic, school garden-grown produce also included the following letter encouraging statewide policy and funding support for school gardens – all received with great enthusiasm by The Gov! More about the lunch.

Aloha Gov. Abercrombie and Guests –

Your lunch today is made with produce grown by more than 650 students, teachers and community volunteers at Kihei Elementary School, and healthfully prepared by our chef sponsors from Capische? and PrivateMauiChef.com. Our gardens are thriving with strong support from the community. With your kokua, these living classrooms can inspire greater learning experiences and better nutrition for thousands of students in Hawai’i.

6 Things You Can Do to Help School Gardens Thrive in Hawai’i

1. A Garden in Every School: Create sustainable funding sources for school gardens and support development of “A Garden in Every School” program in Hawai’i.

2. Farm-to-School: Encourage the Departments of Education and Health to foster farm-to-school pilot programs.

3. Garden-to-School: Establish state guidelines that allow use of school garden produce in cafeterias and school nutrition programs.

4. Living Classrooms: Advocate for school gardens as integral outdoor learning environments to improve science, math, literacy, physical education and nutrition programs.

5. Curricula: Facilitate the creation of Hawai’i-based school garden curricula for K-12 students and professional development for teachers and garden educators.

6. Wellness & Organic Produce for All: Support programs which link school gardens with community wellness and local food system improvements.

About South Maui School Gardens Project

The South Maui School Gardens Project is dedicated to creating hands-on, learning experiences that cultivate curiosity about natural life cycles, connect students to their food sources, and inspire better nutrition choices. We help schools establish food gardens and living science labs in local schools and connect resources and curriculum support through community partnerships in agriculture, science, food education, and nutrition. The South Maui School Gardens Project is a nonprofit organization, sponsored by Tri-Isle RC&D. For more information, visit www.KiheiSchoolGarden.org.

Mahalo nui loa for helping to Grow Our Future!