Kids in the kitchen

Something is cooking at Eastlake Elementary School.

Fifteen youthful chefs, dressed in aprons and chef’s hats, spend an hour after school on Wednesday whipping up their best fruit parfait, Cesar salad and other mouthwatering delights.

The children are part of Rainbow Chefs, a program that educates students and consumers in how to have a healthy lifestyle through the culinary arts.

Eastlake Elementary entered into a partnership with Rainbow Chefs nearly two years ago, after the Chula Vista Elementary School District launched an initiative to promote healthy eating at all its campuses.

“The whole notion of Rainbow Chefs comes from the concept that what you should be eating on your plate should represent maybe a rainbow,” said principal Dr. Eric Banatao.

“Having a colorful plate is a very good thing.”

Fifth-grader Anjali, 10, and her sister Deena, 8, a third- grader, are enrolled in the nine-week culinary arts program.
Both said they enjoy making food from scratch.

“It’s really fun,” Anjali said. “I got to learn about a lot of stuff and it’s really fun cooking the stuff and learning how to make it.”

The extracurricular cooking classes also teach K-6 students safe food preparation and kitchen safety while providing them with a talent, Banatao said.

Students leave the program able to apply their newly adopted eating habits at home.

Elizabeth Jacob-Khan, mother of Anjali and Deena, said her two daughters made the three parfaits at home and explained why they were a healthy option.

“Right away they told us it’s healthy because its yogurt instead of whipped cream,” she said.

She also said her daughters contribute when setting the table and cleaning up, skills they recently developed through Rainbow Chefs.

Chef Mary Henze said there is also an educational component with Rainbow Chefs.

“We’re bringing them science elements and incorporating them into cooking and preparing foods,” she said.

Henze said students learn how to work with measurements and. more recently, how to turn solids into liquids and liquids back to solids.

She also said the students further develop their problem- solving skills and learn culinary vocabulary.

Jacob-Khan said the program is not only educational but fun for her daughters.

“They had a couple of after- school activities but they gravitated toward this one,” she said. “We tried to twist their arms more to try out other programs, we definitely did not need to twist their arm with this one.”

Banatao said with the district’s efforts in promoting healthy eating and the combination of Rainbow Chefs, students at Eastlake Elementary are more conscious of what they eat.

“I’ve definitely seen a lot more kids consuming fruits and vegetables and being wise eaters and making some thoughtful choices about what they ingest,” he said.