What's happened to the BUSD Gardening & Cooking program since we last reported on it?

With the loss of federal funds, the program downsized from nearly $2 million to $600,000 this year. Many cooking and gardening jobs have been cut, due to the dramatic loss of funds, and the remaining staff is working more hours to achieve similar results, with reduced FTEs. All cooking instructors have lost the support of their assistants, giving rise to a new set of challenges that truncate the overall classroom experience. As a result, students receive less one-to-one assistance, less instruction for tools/skills, less "lesson" content, and their classroom teachers are required to assume responsibilities, such as set up and breakdown, previously managed by assistants. The cooking and gardening staff is admirably working through this new set of challenges, while the impending sense of uncertainty continues.

What does that mean for you personally?

It means a longer work day that is filled with new challenges for less money. In addition to working at two new schools, I have accepted a position as a real estate agent. It is an economic necessity and has made sense for me, given my love of design. It's an aesthetic I have brought to the cooking classroom, transforming an ordinary classroom into a vibrant cooking lab in a matter of minutes. Setting the culinary stage is important because it announces the drama of the cooking adventure, and hooks students instantly.

What are kids missing out on with these cuts?

Learning opportunities: Cooking and gardening classes support all learning modalities, so each child is given every opportunity to succeed and practice application of their academic skills taught in the traditional classroom. It is a level playing ground that serves as a springboard for children to explore real-life opportunities. Students become trusting of new food experiences, proud and confident of their kitchen skills, and discover connections to their academic subjects. Education is key. It is crucial that every child is given access to the tools that will help enable them to lead a healthier life.

What's the goal for Tuesday's Gourmet Ghetto event?

To bring together the community, and to help raise awareness and money for our program. To support and show appreciation for the culinary collaboration of the North Berkeley community and to have fun in the process. To stand up for the integrity of food education.

Despite all the difficulties, why do you keep doing what you do?

This deep and meaningful work nourishes children on the inside and is a vital link to our educational system, community and health. Across the nation there is currently a lot of momentum behind food education at school--teaching kids about food, where it comes from and its impact on their health. It is important to keep this conversation alive. In a world of fast food and obesity we have a responsibility to help shape a healthier future for our children. It’s an investment that will pay dividends for generations to come.

Gardening and cooking curriculum focuses on the local harvest. Photo: Carrie Fehr

The Details:

A Taste of North Berkeley
Tuesday, November 12
5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
$30, more than 20 participating restaurants and shops
Tickets available online
Or at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. or M. Lowe & Co., 1519 Shattuck Ave.
All proceeds benefit BUSD Cooking and Gardening Program.

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Taste of North Berkeley Benefits Schools' Cooking & Gardening