About Us

The Sylvia Center (TSC) is creating healthy communities through the power of cooking. TSC was founded in 2007 to address the growing tide of childhood diet-related diseases in our communities. Our mission is to educate young people and families through culinary programming to promote health and well-being. Since its inception, TSC has assisted more than 40,000 individuals learn about, explore, and access nutritious foods and become ambassadors for healthy eating in their communities.

History

The Sylvia Center was founded in 2007 at Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, NY to address the growing tide of childhood diet-related disease in our communities. It began with a garden-to-table program where children explored a diverse, colorful vegetable garden and cooked lunch using the food they harvested. 

In 2008, a New York City branch was established with small group youth cooking classes in a learning kitchen located on the premises of Great Performances, a catering company in lower Manhattan. Recipes for these classes featured fresh, seasonal produce to mimic the farm program as closely as possible. 

In early 2009, TSC piloted an off-site program for eighth-graders at the Bronx Green Middle School. The success of that pilot led to the implementation of The NYCHA Cooks for Health Program with support from Rachel Ray’s Yum-o! Organization and The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.  By 2011, city programs shifted completely to serve youth in the communities where they live and held programs based in NYCHA community centers in Harlem, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. 

Programs continued to expand and grow throughout the years both in NYC and upstate with newly developed partnerships and new programs for youth, teens and families. Today, The Sylvia Center partners with over 50 schools and community organizations across all five boroughs, Columbia County and the Capital District and serves nearly 4,000 students annually.