“I pledge my health to better living,” reads the 4-H pledge, a set of guiding principles familiar to many. But how are youth today learning healthy living principles?
One way that took off during the COVID-19 pandemic is through cooking demonstrations conducted on Zoom. Everyone from fourth-graders to high school seniors, in thirty to forty Tennessee counties, took part in 2021, and the program has continued.
The opportunity to make and taste a new dish brings the youth together, and so does the fun of cooking along with a chef as they demonstrate how to prepare a food. Grant funding has made it possible to send each participant an e-gift card to offset the cost of ingredients. Youth even receive a shopping list so they will know which sizes and types of ingredients to buy.
State 4-H Extension specialist Shelby Brawner coordinates the cooking series. She also serves as its Zoom moderator and logistics manager, handling essentially every detail except being the on-camera chef.
Brawner says that while the demonstrations cover the traditional facets of healthy living, including nutrition, health and fitness, and food safety, “We are taking a more holistic approach, as well, to explore the social determinants of health. That includes health equity; food insecurity; and mental, social, and emotional health,” she explains.
The idea for the series came from a National 4-H Healthy Living Summit where Brawner saw a peer from the University of Arizona give a cooking demonstration that featured potato tacos. “The Tennessee 4-H’ers attending the summit loved it, and I thought what a great way to involve our youth in learning about food, culture, and perspectives from a different region of the United States,” Brawner says.
So, February 2021 found Liz Sparks with Arizona 4-H showing Volunteer State youth how to prepare the potato tacos, along with tortillas, salsa, and baked churros. Brawner saw how interested the 4-H’ers were in the program. “Really, when I started offering these demos, I thought we would do a couple of programs and then stop, not knowing how well-attended the demos would be,” she says. “But the pandemic continued, and so we did, too.”
Partnering with others also continued. “Tennessee commodity groups are always seeking ways to engage with our youth,” Brawner says. “This program seemed a perfect fit, and they thought so, too.”
In March 2021, Janna Sullivan of the Tennessee Beef Council guided the 4-H’ers in making beefy sloppy joes and beefy PB&J wraps. The month of April found Phyllis Ferguson of the Tennessee Pork Producers Association preparing pork nachos. Ferguson was so impressed with the food demos that the Tennessee Pork Producers Association covered the cost of e-gift cards for her session.
Next up, Cindy Cooper of the Dairy Alliance showed youth how to make five different smoothies. In a return program celebrating Dairy Month in June, she demonstrated two types of ice cream that can be made without specialized equipment.
Cooper says she was amazed by the students’ virtual participation. “They were so enthusiastic. They couldn’t believe how simple making smoothies and ice cream can be and how few ingredients they need,” she says. “Some of the students even emailed me later with their own recipes.”
Kristen Johnson, assistant professor with UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, also did star turns, sharing both nutrition tips and culinary techniques as she and the youth cooked Mediterranean style salmon and vegetables. She returned in December 2021 to show how to craft scenes made of food.
Sumner County 4-H’er Ian Adams is pleased with the takeaways he has learned. “I like that there have been a variety of foods and ideas—everything from campout hobo meals and allergy-friendly snacks to gift ideas like bites in a jar,” Adams says. “As a Tennessee Healthy Living Ambassador, I’m able to bring back to my community, and family, what I’ve learned in the Zoom demos. It’s an easy platform for everyone to attend and enjoy.”
Brigitte Passman, director of UT-TSU Extension Tipton County, says she witnessed how one 4-H member stepped out of her shell to share her passion for cooking. “And a parent told me her child loves to cook, and the demos expanded his knowledge of culinary skills. She said he still talks about his experience to this day, along with asking what is next in line for cooking. Now that’s an engaged youth.”
Youth learning culinary skills is something Brawner has noticed, too. Everyone was dicing onions during one program, when a youth spoke up and asked how to do it. “So, we slowed down and discussed how to slice an onion, to tuck your finger under when using a knife to be safe,” she says. “That may seem very basic, yet it’s a life skill we’re teaching 4-H’ers that they can carry forever.”
Having seen the popularity and impacts of the online food demonstrations, Brawner says the series will continue. “The programs are well attended, 4-H’ers want to do this, and it’s just a wonderful opportunity with little, if any, barrier to participate.”
What’s next on the menu? While not giving away a secret, count on it to be delicious and fun to prepare.
Explore the topics of food demonstrations to date, their recipes, and shopping lists at the 4-H website.
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