Chef Jannai Mapanao, manages the Facebook campus restaurants, but today he visited Juana Briones Elementary school and taught 4th and 5th graders the many different ways apples 
can be eaten: From apple crisps, to apple “jello” cubes, to apple juice, and apple salsa. Chef Jannai demonstrated that if you don’t like a food in one form, maybe there is another way it can be prepared that you will like. What’s your favorite way to eat an apple?
Private chef and teacher, chef Laura Stec, held two engaging workshops for kindergarteners and 3rd graders at Nixon Elementary on Thursday Nov. 9th. The students learned all about the “secret” to vegetables and th
e proper cooking technique to coax this secret out. By the end of the workshop even the kindergarten students were shouting the correct answers to cooking temperature questions! And everyone enthusiastically finished off the Asian Lettuce Cups at the end of the demonstration.
Chef Ellie Lavender of Lavender Design + Cuisine conducted two fun and delicious cooking demonstrations at Juana Briones Elementary in Palo Alto. The students learned how to make a healthy snack — vegan lemon-dill hummus! After the demo, the kids enjoyed sampling the snacks along with
organic persimmon slices. Who knew healthy snacks could taste so-o-o good! And as an added treat, everyone got to take home a persimmon.
Get the detailed recipe for this heavenly snack.
Today Bay Area Tasting Week founder, and fearless leader, Rebecca Scholl led two workshops for 3rd graders at Juana Briones Elementary School. The “Five Senses” workshops taught the kids how sound, smell, sight, texture and flavors all contribute to the tasting experience.
After doing a “mindful eating” exercise using pretzels, Rebecca showed the students how to put together
a multi-colored and multi-flavored salad. She really got the creative juices flowing; before you knew it, they added pretzels to the salad. What???
Chef Ellie Lavender wowed the students at Palo Verde Elementary School with her workshop on vegetarian Mediterranean foods. The children journeyed to Morocco with Chef Ellie, explored this land of magical spices and food, and then feasted on a Vegan Moroccan Couscous Salad with Lavender Tahini Dressing. To read more about the workshop, see more pictures, and get the recipe for yourself – visit Chef Ellie’s Blog.
Google chefs Kimberly Tran and Tatiana Contreras led an engaging and interactive demo with the children at Castro Elementary School in Mountain View. Each child was given a small, closed container of whole milk. The kids got to jump up and down, and dance around the room; basically shaking their milk container into butter. There were lots of oohs and ahhs as the children observed their milk transform into cream, and then into butter.
But the best part came at the end of the workshop when the kids tasted the whipped cream with an apple crisp, and enjoyed the butter with fresh bread. Almost everyone asked for seconds. It was a great time for the kids, teachers, and the chefs.
As Chef Kimberly watched the children enjoy the fruits of their shakin’ she commented that it was this same experience, as a child, that led her to become a chef!
Learn more about the science behind making butter.
Today JLS welcomed Nathalie Huynh and Aurelie Teyssier, two 6th-grades moms, for a great start of the first Mediterranean cuisine workshop for 6th graders.
During this fun workshop, 6th graders learned about the origins of Gastronomia, the traditions of sharing (sometimes 3 hours long!) meals in Mediterranean ancient civilizations. They also learned the secret of the “Mediterranean diet”: Lots of fresh fruits & vegetables, dairy products, fish and… olive oil. With such a background, no wonder it is part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage list!
The kids got to taste vegetable-based recipes, some dairy dishes, and even did a taste comparison of extra virgin olive oil and regular olive oil. It was a great success! The kids not only rocked the guessing games, but they ate up all the food – even the anchovies!!
Thanks to Nathalie and Aurelie for putting on this workshop and other classes are looking forward to participating in the workshop later this week.
As a preview to next week’s Tasting Week, Chef Christy Wolf prepared a delicious green salad and fruit salad for students at Escondido Elementary School. While prepping and mixing the meal, she spoke with dozens of children about food taste, color, balance and nutrients. 
The children were excited to learn as they feasted on several new fruits and vegetables. Many of the children even tried vegetables they had never tasted before. Christy also taught the children how adding a spice like chili powder, or a dash of salt, can bring out a whole new flavor in the fruit.
Thank you Chef Christy for coming and teaching the kids about healthy foods!
Today Google chefs Kimberly Tran and Tatiana Contreras led a fantastic interactive demo with the children at Walter Hays Elementary School in Palo Alto. 
Each child was given their own individual container of whole milk. After a lot of shaking, jumping, and even some dancing, the children observed their milk transform into cream, and then into butter.
But the best part came at the end of the workshop when the kids tasted the whipped cream with strawberries and enjoyed the butter 
on fresh bread. Almost everyone asked for seconds. It was a great time for the kids, teachers, and the chefs.
Chef Kimberly remarked that it was this same experience, making butter, as a child that led her to become a chef!
In response to the recent heat wave, Tasting Week 2014 started today with a series of very fresh fruit and vegetable demonstrations across four Palo Alto schools. 
Chef Kelsey Casavan from LB Steak made a smoothie with apples, oranges and kale for the children of Barron Park Elementary school. Chef Beverlie Terra from Dolce Hayes Mansion hosted an interactive workshop at Addison Elementary school where kids made lettuce wraps with grated squash, zucchini and cucumbers dipped in a home-made healthy ranch sauce. The entire MP room smelled like herbs and fresh cucumber juice.
Chef Christy Wolf from Sur La Table created excitement at Escondido Elementary school’s 
garden club with a quiz on exotic vegetables and fruits, which some children got to taste for the very first time.
Last but not least, our own Lea Bowmer from Tasting Week hosted a workshop on the Five Senses at Juana Briones Elementary, to teach children to use all their senses when appreciating food! Very successful first day. More details on each workshop to come…