British cook Jamie Oliver visited Huntington, West Virginia for an extended stay on a mission to change the way the town prepares food in homes, workplaces and schools. Huntington has the claim to fame of being the unhealthiest city in the unhealthiest country on the planet.
The ABC network television show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution tracks Jamie’s efforts, accomplishments and disappointments as he works to teach teens to cook, introduce healthy eating habits, educate and more to change the “grub” the people of Huntington choose to load on their plates.
Jamie Oliver Visits the High School Lunch Room
The first two episodes of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution filmed Jamie creating new menus at an elementary school in Huntington. In episode three, Jamie shows us around the serving lines of the high school lunch room and points out the unhealthy truth that the line with a fried chicken filet sandwich served with fries is the most popular choice among the students.
Jamie shares with viewers that his tactic to improve healthy eating habits in the high school lunch room will be to work from the inside out. Jamie puts together a team of six teens or “cooks to be” interested in helping him create change in Huntington.
Jamie Begins Teaching Teenagers to Cook
Also in episode three, Jamie invites the six-person team of high school students to his teaching kitchen in downtown Huntington where he begins teaching the teenagers to cook and experience success as they acquire a new comfort level with culinary skills. Later Jamie takes the team of teens out of the city into a field for an outdoor cooking powwow, where he asks them for help in cooking a fundraiser meal for eighty people.
The fundraiser is important to Jamie’s mission of changing the lunch menus in all of the schools in the Huntington area and a state senator will be attending the fundraiser. Jamie and the six teens had only three hours to prepare the fundraiser meal. Jamie comments that he usually cooks with a group of teens for a few months before having them to prepare a formal meal. But for the Huntington fundraiser, Jamie will be teaching the teenagers to cook on the fly while they are the chefs for the dinner fundraiser.
Free Food Samples in the High School Lunch Room
Episode three also shows Jamie introducing a new dish to the high school lunchroom lines. Jamie prepares a noodle entree loaded with a seven colorful stir-fried vegetables and calls on his team of six teens to walk through the cafeteria offering free sample cups to students.
Jamie’s noodle stir-fry dish is offered as one of four choices for lunch. Rhonda, the school districts food service representative shows up at the high school to observe Jamie’s changes and make sure his menus comply with the state’s food and nutrition policies as well as promote healthy eating habits.
Rhonda informs Jamie that the seven vegetables mixed in with the noodles do not equal the cup and a fourth of vegetable serving required by state standards. Rhonda tells Jamie that the food line will need another vegetable serving. Jamie’s jaw drops to the ground when he learns that french fries can be brought over from the “fast food” line to count as the “vegetable.”
Teens Cook a Fundraiser Dinner on Food Revolution
Jamie has had little time to prepare the six teens to cook for a crowd of eighty people. He admits that the kitchen will be in chaos, but feels it is important for the teenagers to be the chefs for the fundraiser that will hopefully jump start healthy eating habits in Huntington school. Teaching the teenagers to cook roasted pumpkin risotto, pork crostini, apple topped salad, and wild berry tart does end up looking chaotic, but the team sends out every plate looking and tasting great, according to Jamie.
The teens are worn out, but seem pleased with their efforts. Jamie brings the teen cooks out from the kitchen into the dining room and introduces them to the fundraiser guests eating the meal. Each of the six teens tells the group why it’s important to provide funds for staff training to improve the healthiness of the school lunch menus. The episode concludes with a scene of the state senator telling the teens who cooked that he will find funds to pay for the staff training.
Will teaching teens to cook have an impact on the lunch room choices? Viewers can watch full episodes of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution at the ABC website to see if Jamie’s efforts are successful in changing the food served in the high school cafeteria and improving healthy eating habits in Huntington, West Virginia. Jamie hopes the changes in Huntington will spark changes in high school lunchrooms across the nation.
Kelly Pfeiffer - Kelly Pfeiffer teaches Positive Discipline workshops to parents and trains child care providers on various child development topics.
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