Families that eat together, eat healthier!

What better time than winter to cook together as a family? January marks the kick-off of our family-class programming in New York City, where The Sylvia Center Chef Educators lead virtual and in-person cooking classes with families of students who take part in our Cooks for Health programs. 

Participating families receive a fresh ingredient meal kit that serves 4–6 people, packed and delivered directly to our partner sites across the five boroughs. These fun, interactive classes are an important part of our programming: they not only create a space for families to cook and eat together, but support the culinary education happening in our classrooms. The Sylvia Center champions a multi-component approach to our programs: We pair Cooks for Health Elementary and Cooks for Health Middle School programming with a Cooks for Health Family class whenever possible. This innovative approach provides each student with training and education on the power of healthy, plant-based cooking, and reinforces these concepts in each student’s community and support network.

With these pillars of support, we hope to instill a culture of communal eating at the table. We strive to create a special space where families learn to cook from their own personal chef, and eventually become chefs at home! Family mealtime is crucial to building healthy relationships to one another and to food: Studies show that families that eat together, eat healthier, and this ritual supports positive emotional development. 

Understanding how difficult it is to plan, purchase and execute healthy meals, especially amidst rising food prices that are amplified in the gentrifying neighborhoods we work in, we make it easy for families to connect and share in delicious learning. As of now, we plan to run our family classes in partnership with 11 sites throughout the boroughs, bringing more than 450 meal kits into our families’ homes: this is a small but meaningful step towards improving food access in our communities and deepening our impact on a young person’s and family’s food journey.