Last week edmontonCHEFS.ca Member Chef Jered Evangelos of Thrive Catering Co. hosted a belated ICD event at the Edmonton Christian West Playschool’s Thursday morning class!

Keeping with the 2019 theme of “How Healthy Food Works”, Chef Jered invited the sixteen 3 and 4 year olds to make a “Friendship Fruit Salad.” To begin, Chef Jered read a book to the children about what it means to be a chef!

Next up, Chef Jered did a fun physical activity to get our heart rates up and to remind everyone that a healthy lifestyle includes exercise as well as eating well. The children showed off their jumping jacks, push ups and touching their toes.

Everyone took turns washing their hands, before gathering around the table to build the “Friendship Fruit Salad.” Each of the students brought a different fruit they had washed and cut up with their parents to contribute to the salad. Everyone took turns pouring their fruit into our friendship bowl, as Chef Jered taught them about the health benefits of each fruit!

• Oranges are a healthy source of fiber, vitamin C, thiamine, folate, and antioxidants
• The fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and phytonutrient content in blueberries supports heart health.
• Blackberries are packed with vitamin C. Just one cup of raw blackberries has 30.2 milligrams of vitamin C. They support brain health and oral health!
• Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber.
• Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and contain decent amounts of folate (vitamin B9) and potassium. 
• Potassium in bananas is good for your heart health and blood pressure.
• The nutrients in grapes may help protect against cancer, eye problems, cardiovascular disease, and other health conditions
• Raspberries contain strong antioxidants such as Vitamin C, quercetin and gallic acid that fight against cancer, heart and circulatory disease. They also have anti-inflammatory properties!

After the fruit salad was mixed up nicely, the children lined up to take their turns building their own healthy and nutritious snack. They had yogurt, granola, hemp hearts, chia seeds, shredded coconut and some rainbow sprinkles to choose from. We were surprised and thrilled to see each child being adventurous to try all the ingredients!

Everyone came back for seconds! After everyone had their fill of our “Friendship Fruit Salad” each student got a goody bag with an official ICD 2019 Participation Certificate signed by Chef Jered, four recipe cards for healthy meals to try at home with their family, some stickers and a fruit stamp!

It’s safe to say we celebrated International Chefs Day and How Healthy Food Works to the fullest. Thanks to Edmonton Christian West Playschool and Ms. Helen for having us!