Parents, students, teachers, and concerned culinarians everywhere, proclaim it loud and clear: “The White Coats Are Coming! The White Coats Are Coming!”
Yes indeed, the Food Revolution has begun and it’s about to change the way we feed our kids in schools throughout our glorious land.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, a third of children in the U.S. are obese. That’s in spite of the fact that there’s a significant number of kids who suffer from “food insecurity,” a rather silly euphemism which means that they go hungry. Why can’t we just say that?
In an all-out effort to combat the childhood obesity epidemic, first lady Michelle Obama invited more than 500 chefs to the White House South Lawn on Friday, June 4, where she launched her Chefs Move to Schools program, a valiant initiative that aims to bring chefs and schools together.
In this program, professional chefs nationwide are encouraged to adopt a school in their community where they will work with teachers, parents, nutritionists and food service professionals, both skilled and unskilled, in an effort to spice up students’ food choices.
Kendall College, where I am privileged to work as a chef instructor, is extremely honored that three of our most illustrious white coats were invited to participate in this groundbreaking event at the White House Garden.
Christopher Koetke, longtime Oak Park resident and dean of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, was invited to represent the American Culinary Federation. Chef Koetke is also vice president of culinary arts for Laureate International Universities, where he is responsible for strategic leadership of culinary arts programs throughout the worldwide Laureate network.
Renee Zonka, managing director and associate dean of The School of Culinary Arts is also our resident nutritionist at Kendall and has long championed reforms in the way we feed our children. Chef Zonka is a leading proponent of research concerning the effects of gluten in our diet and its link to celiac and Crohn’s diseases. Chef Zonka was invited to the White House to represent Share Our Strength, a national advocacy group that works hard to make sure that no kid in America goes hungry. You can meet chef Zonka at The Taste of Chicago, where Kendall will participate in four Healthy Kids demos on June 28 and July 2.
Heidi Hedeker, baking and pastry instructor, served as an organizing chef for Share Our Strength, where she also participated in the Hungry Kids Cookoff, a wildly successful Iron Chef-style event that paired celebrity chefs with teams of kids in a challenge to make nutritious meals in less than an hour. Guess what? They did it! Chef Hedeker is a dedicated professional and was truly honored – in her own words, “knock-kneed” – to be invited to the White House.
Yet, as one who adheres to the belief that government has the responsibility to transform ideals into reality, she is under no illusion, as she says, “Our personal reflections and best-laid plans to save the world are not always strongly tempered against public opinion or real-world human beings and their deep love for fatty, non-nutritious foods.”
Super-size me? The challenge is before us. Let the revolution begin.
Frank Chlumsky, former executive chef of Philander’s restaurant in Oak Park, teaches in Chicago at Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts. In his 37-year career, Frank has owned restaurants in Michigan City, Ind., and in Lake Geneva, Wis. He has also been executive chef at the Saddle & Cycle Club in Chicago. Frank lives in Forest Park, where he cooks for pleasure.