Virtual cooking classes bring nutritional education to children and adults across the Caribbean
During the summer months, the East Caribbean Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Children, Adolescents, Education, and Health Ministries Departments collaborated to launch their inaugural "Kids Can Cook" virtual cooking classes.
Reading time | 3 mins
Online free stock image of kids cooking pictures from Unsplash.
During the summer months, the East Caribbean Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Children, Adolescents, Education, and Health Ministries Departments collaborated to launch their inaugural "Kids Can Cook" virtual cooking classes.
This innovative initiative was conceived by Sister Andrea Hoyte, Director of the Children, Adolescents and Education departments of the conference. She shared her motivation, saying, "One of the primary goals of this program is to empower children with kitchen independence. Moreover, I firmly believe that children are more inclined to enjoy and consume healthy foods when they've had a hand in preparing them. It's a delightful way to cultivate their appreciation for nutritious meals."
Nurse Priscilla Prevost, the Health Director of the conference, also expressed her unwavering support and added, "Another crucial objective of the program is to instill in children a genuine appreciation for healthy eating. These Sunday classes were meticulously designed to impart the principles of good nutrition while enabling children to prepare simple yet wholesome meals."
The cooking sessions featured a range of dishes, including straightforward breakfasts with plant-based spreads and other options that didn't require stovetop cooking. Parents and students alike appreciated this thoughtful approach.
A meal from the adult cooking class consisting of quinoa tofu Palau, corn pie (without cheese or egg) baked kidney beans and salad.
Children from Seventh-day Adventist and non-Seventh-day Adventist backgrounds in Dominica, Barbados, the USA, Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, Guyana, and Trinidad eagerly tuned in every week for these engaging classes.
Both the Director of Children, Adolescents and Education and the Health Director expressed their gratitude to God, as well as to the parents and students, as they look forward to planning the next series of cooking classes.
Hoyte elaborated on the culinary journey, stating, "The dishes we've prepared are simple, delicious, and healthy, requiring minimal preparation time. In the first series, we minimized stove usage, but in the upcoming Series 2, children will gain experience with stoves and ovens."
Image of a Pindwheel Sándwich prepared by Nia Sealy from Barbados. Image by personal from the" kids can cook" virtual cooking class.
Running concurrently with this youth-focused program was an adult cooking class initiated by the Health Ministries leaders at the Workman SDA Church in Barbados and the Wesley SDA Church in Dominica. This program also took place online and attracted participants from across the Caribbean, with its primary goal being to cultivate an appreciation for wholesome and nutritious foods.
These virtual cooking classes have not only fostered culinary skills but have also sowed the seeds of healthy eating habits in participants of all ages throughout the Caribbean region.