During this past school year, Chef Patrick Leeman was doing a demonstration for Amy Pratt’s Kellam High School class in Virginia Beach. A presenter for Culinary Institute of Virginia, he was trying to show students how healthy foods can still taste good. When the class tried his Veggie Tacos, they were convinced. So much so, they decided to embark on a bold project to have the dish added to the school’s cafeteria menu.
“Nutrition is such a vital part of adolescent development,” says Chef Leeman. “It can really make a difference, not only to physical health, but also to how well students perform in the classroom. As the old saying goes, ‘healthy body, healthy mind.’”
As school projects go, Ms. Pratt’s students left no stone unturned. They put together a formal presentation that included research on school nutrition, taste tests and surveys with the student body, and a complete breakdown of Chef Leeman’s recipe from a nutritional and cost perspective.
Just before classes ended for the summer, the students presented their findings to Virginia Beach School administrators who are now considering adding the Veggie Taco dish to the cafeteria’s menu.