The Classic Catering People Teach Powhatan Elementary Students About Eating Local

Third graders at Powhatan Elementary School in Baltimore County gained firsthand experience last week in learning where food comes from and how fresh foods taste. As part of Days of Taste, a national nonprofit program developed by the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), The Classic Catering People’s Chef Vickie Barkley taught students how to prepare a fresh harvest salad and vinaigrette dressing from scratch.

During the hands-on lesson, eager students put learning into action by recognizing the four basic tastes – sour, salty, bitter and sweet. As part of the program, students mixed cherry tomatoes, snap peas, yellow peppers, carrots, raisins and radicchio, making for a hearty and colorful salad. Students also made homemade dressing using a combination of oil, mustard, honey and red wine vinegar. For a final topper, adventurous students added grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, and goat cheese to their salad creations; ingredients they learned about from Springfield Farm.

Days of Taste is a three-day program that takes place in public schools across the country over a three-week period in the spring and fall. It is provided at no cost to schools that participate. The first day focuses on using all five senses to sample and compare diverse foods. The second day includes a visit to a local farm where students see how vegetables are grown and then prepared for delivery to the market. The third day brings it all together as students make their own farm-fresh salad and dressing guided by a professional chef. To learn about Days of Taste, visit http://www.aiwf.org/site/days-of-taste.html.