On a recent weeknight at the Greece Early Learning Center (ELC), the parent center hums with little voices, parent laughter, and the happy clatter of measuring cups. Kids and caregivers lean over cutting boards to slice fruit with a smile (or a brave face). It’s Cooking Club night—an engaging, hands-on way for families to cook together, try new foods, and bring healthy habits home.
This Cooking Club is powered by a three-way partnership: Greece ELC, Healthi Kids, and Cooking Matters. Healthi Kids’ role is supported by New York State’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) grant through the Department of Health. The grant helps us strengthen wellness policy work and fund nutrition and physical activity support at partner sites.
The kickoff session drew a small crowd of dads and moms with their young children. They started the session with a short Cooking Matters video to review some basics, then rolled up their sleeves and got to work learning how to use knives safely and follow a recipe. They learned about how to enjoy healthy beverages and at the end, they had a healthy and delicious raspberry-lime fizz, complete with cranberry-raspberry juice (just a little so it wasn’t too sugary), essence-flavored seltzer, citrus, muddled raspberries, and a garnish of fresh rosemary.
“It was great to have special time with my daughter as we don’t often cook together at home,” wrote one parent on the course evaluation form. Another noted, “This was amazing, we would love to do fruit and yogurt parfaits one time.”
While they were enjoying their festive and healthy beverage, facilitators led the group in a discussion about some of the produce they cooked with in the class.
During the six-session course, families work side by side to:
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Practice kitchen skills in a fun, low pressure environment
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Taste and rate new fruits and vegetables
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Learn simple nutrition tips they can use right away
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Pack take home kits to try recipes again together
The model works because it’s a family-centered design. Caregivers and kids share the work (and the wins), which builds confidence and makes new foods less intimidating. Cooking Matters' evidence-based lessons and approachable recipes meet families where they are. And support from Healthi Kids brings mini grants, supplies, and implementation support made possible by the CHSC grant, while Greece ELC contributes space, staff expertise, and trusted relationships with families.
Cooking Club isn’t just about one meal—it’s about skills, family connection, and confidence. When kids chop, taste, and choose together with the grownups in their lives, they’re more likely to try—and enjoy—new foods. When families leave with a simple plan and ingredients they helped pick, they’re more likely to make it again.
We’ll toast to that!