Can you remember that moment when you first learned to cook? Maybe it was with your mom, dad or your grandmother. You saw that miracle of looking at a recipe, grabbing the ingredients, turning on the flame, adding the food to the pan and cooking something that tasted better than you imagined.

Unfortunately, with the stress of these days and so many parents working multiple jobs, the joy of that moment isn't available to many kids in the Bay Area.

Since 2009, Kids Cooking For Life has taught hands-on cooking classes to 10,000 students in over 100 Title One schools, special education classes, hospitals and organizations . We do not charge those that cannot afford it and we guarantee all children learn this to protect their health.

When someone learns to cook they increase their creativity, confidence, problem-solving and literacy skills. Plus as they shop for good food they learn to budget, the joy of serving others, and increase their community awareness.

Following are two of our success stories.

•Ben, a high school student enrolled in a Special Education class, learned to cook breakfast with his class. He proudly went home and according to his mother, made breakfast for his family.

This may not be a big deal for many of you, but for Ben and his family, it was huge. He was able to create something for his mom and dad and serve it to them. Just imagine what it was like for him to walk into their bedroom with pancakes, juice and a huge smile. Not only was that incredible for him but it also gave them a moment of normalcy and happiness in what we can all imagine is a very challenging situation.

•Or the experience of Rosa, a middle school student who had never heard of kale and refused to eat anything green. While the class made the raw kale salad with home-made orange juice vinegarette, Rosa was busy making rude comments and faces as we chopped and diced, added sweet onions, cranberries and pumpkin seeds to the salad. Needless to say, the class devoured a huge bowl or the salad. At the end of the class, Rosa came up asking for a copy of the recipe, exclaiming, “I don’t believe anything raw and green can taste so darn good!!!”

Your interest and investment in our young chefs ensures that they have the opportunity to benefit from a lifetime of healthy eating. We need to ACT NOW to change how people eat while they are young.

On behalf of all of us at Kids Cooking For Life, thank you for helping us change lives, one recipe at a time!

KIDS COOKING FOR LIFE

By Youth Cooking Services

KIDS COOKING FOR LIFE

celebrating 15 years

Team Members