CookShop^® for Adults

FoodChange's CookShop^® for Adults (formerly Vegetable of the Month) teaches adult food stamp recipients in New York City how to purchase, store, cook, and enjoy fresh vegetables in season. It promotes a plant-based, whole-foods diet of minimally processed foods. FoodChange provides curriculum materials, cooking equipment, training, and technical assistance to agencies and schools to lead monthly cooking workshops with their clients. FoodChange's staff visits these sites on a continuous basis to oversee the program delivery.

Excessive consumption of highly processed foods with little nutritional value, particularly throughout the low-income community, has become a major health concern in the U.S. CookShop^® for Adults’ goal is to increase awareness and consumption of fresh, locally grown vegetables in season among adult food stamp recipients in New York City. The workshops help to develop participants' cooking skills and increase their ability and motivation to prepare more home-cooked meals from scratch. The program also strives to link participating agencies and partnering schools with community resources for whole-foods nutrition education and sustainable agriculture.

Started in 2001, CookShop^® for Adults was designed to complement the CookShop^® Classroom curriculum—a nutrition education program that strives to increase awareness, accessibility and consumption of wholesome foods in the school community. CookShop^® for Adults workshops are being conducted on a regular basis in all five boroughs of New York City, at 26 community-based organizations and three schools located in areas where the incidence of childhood obesity and malnutrition is very high.

For more information, contact Jeannie Fournier, Senior Program Officer, CookShop^® at jfournier@foodchange.org.