When Marcel Proust dipped his madeleine into his cup of tea, a powerful memory from his childhood emerged that led him to write the classic novel, “Remembrance of Things Past.” Imagine such a table from nostalgic past, set for afternoon tea, bursting with memories, sparked by the delicate flavor of this simple yet elegant, shell-shaped cake. A modern twist on a classic, here is my recipe for Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines.
Asparagus, Dinosaur Kale, Red Onion
By: Fifth Grade Cooking Class Student
There is beauty in every moment. If we simply slow down to notice the world around us, we can find inner beauty in ordinary objects, and the still life treasure will unfold like a flower petal blooming.
The cooking classroom prepares for the Cinco De Mayo celebration with black bean tacos. Students roll fresh masa between excited fingers and use wooden tortilla presses to make home-made tortillas. It’s fun to mash guacamole in a molcajete and shake sweet red onion pickles like maracas in old-fashioned mason jars!
The cheerful colors, fragrance and sweet taste of seasonal citrus fruit, bring a burst of sunshine in the middle of winter that enliven our senses, as we welcome the New Year with positive energy.
To celebrate the citrus harvest, students begin cooking classes with a time-honored tradition of meditating on a satsuma mandarin orange. Through mindful eating practices, students learn how to awaken a deeper appreciation of the food they eat, and become more conscious of the connection it has to their health and environment. As we pause and refresh our breath, we close our eyes, and savor the beauty of the mandarin, with gratitude for its nourishment, and its sweet nectar that embrace all our senses. And with the knowledge that it belongs to a greater whole—the land, sun, and sky—we fully appreciate the splendor of this gift of nature, in this precious moment of calm and stillness.
By Carrie Fehr
Imagine a school that serves up healthy cafeteria food sourced by local farms, respects the environment, supports garden and cooking education in the classroom, and makes a positive difference in the community.
The Berkeley Unified School District, a national model for school food reform, exemplifies such a commitment to its students, and understands the important role it has in promoting health, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration.
It is no surprise that Berkeley is home to visionary chef Alice Waters, who has long championed the benefits of eating seasonally, and also helped provide a grant from her Chez Panisse Foundation, to hire Ann Cooper, aka Renegade Lunch Lady, to improve the quality of the school food, district wide several years ago. Since the overhaul to food services, some of the benefits to the schools include– universal breakfast, salad bars, cooking class recipes that link to the cafeteria, along with a take-home calendar, featuring healthy recipes that kids prepare at school.
But even though there are significant changes to the school food, the heart of the programs rely on the cooking and gardening education classes that link to core subjects in the classroom, and provide students with hands-on learning opportunities about food, the environment, and nutrition. It makes a huge difference when kids are actively involved in the farm to table process, both in the cafeteria and at home– if they grow, cook, and learn about it, they will be willing to try it and discover that healthy food tastes good.
To reinforce the vital link food has to our health, it is important to recognize the valuable relationship between local farms and the food we serve at school, to the way we treat our environment, and its impact on how we teach our children about food, and their health.
And as a nation, we have a social responsibility to take steps to improve the health of our children, with learning opportunities that begin at school.
This post appeared on the Fedupwithlunch guest blog at: http://fedupwithlunch.com/category/happening-now/guest-blogs/
Carrie Fehr begins her twelfth year as Chef Teacher for the cooking & gardening program in the Berkeley Unified School District. She has developed an expansive repertoire of cooking lessons that skillfully integrate core academic subjects, culinary concepts, and nutrition education. The cooking classroom is a perfect match for Carrie’s love and passion for teaching children. Her goal is to bring a positive emotional connection to healthy food and to instill an appreciation of wellbeing for every student, that will be accessible lifelong.
Carrie is available for consulting please contact her at carriefehr@gmail.com or visit her blog http://www.kidseatingright.wordpress.com or on twitter at http://twitter.com/CarrieFehr
As the year comes to a close, it gives me an opportunity to reflect on the memorable highlights– beginning with favorite meals, of course! Here is my short list for 2011:
Lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill across from the White House in DC www.ebbitt.com
Dinner at Momo Sushi Shack in Brooklyn, New York http://momosushishack.com
Still Love the Pizza at Pizzaiolo, Oakland www.pizzaiolooakland.com
Needs No Introduction– Sandwiches from The Local Butcher Shop in Berkeley www.thelocalbutchershop.com
Aprés Yoga– Miso Soup from Kirala To Go, Berkeley www.kiralaberkeley.com
The Art of Carving a Turkey thanks to Youtube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GCdkuQoLrY
Beam Me Up with Electrolytes from The Science of Cooking kidseatingright.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/the-science-of-cooking
Thanksgiving Baking Session: Persimmon Pudding, Ginger Cake, and Pink Lady Apple-Frangipane Galettes, with my co-worker Patty, email me for the recipes! carriefehr@gmail.com
Yay for Social Media—Twitter twitter.com/CarrieFehr
Let’s Hear it for School Food Blogging www.kidseatingright.wordpress.com
And a Drum Roll Please–For Therapy Dog Training a Chocolate Labrador Named Rocky kidseatingright.wordpress.com/in-the-classroom-2
Welcome to our cooking classroom blog. Stay tuned for upcoming posts!
Carrie Fehr 
