Emeril Lagasse Foundation Expands National Culinary Education Program to Long Island’s Tremont Elementary

Emeril Lagasse Foundation is expanding its national investment in youth education and nutrition with the selection of Long Island’s Tremont Elementary School as its newest partner for Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen.

Tremont Elementary, part of the Patchogue-Medford School District in Medford, NY, will become the eighth school in the country to implement the Foundation’s signature program, an immersive model that brings together gardening, nutrition and hands-on culinary education to transform how students learn about food and health.

Subscribe

The program is built on four core pillars: helping students understand where food comes from, developing life skills through hands-on learning, teaching the importance of nutrition and healthy eating, and building culinary skills that foster confidence and independence.

“Alden and I have always known that food can change a child’s life,” said Emeril Lagasse, chef and founder of Emeril Lagasse Foundation. “We’re proud to expand this work to Long Island and partner with Tremont Elementary, where students will learn to grow and cook their own food, building confidence and lifelong healthy habits.”

The need for programs like Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen continues to grow as greater emphasis is placed on childhood nutrition, access to healthy food and preventative health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 1 in 10 children in the United States consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, and childhood obesity affects nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children. In response, the Foundation’s signature program delivered 8,493 lessons nationwide in 2024 and reached more than 14,000 families through community events.

“We are incredibly proud that Tremont Elementary has been chosen for this innovative program,” said Lori Cannetti, interim superintendent of Patchogue-Medford School District. “Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen will open doors for students to explore natural science, nutrition, culture and collaboration in ways that are both joyful and academically enriching.”

Approximately 41% of students at Tremont Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and many of the school’s families face barriers to accessing fresh ingredients. In 2022, the school launched its Courtyard Project-Based Learning Initiative, transforming an underused courtyard into a vibrant outdoor classroom featuring garden beds, composting systems and a chicken coop. In 2024, Tremont introduced Tremont GROWS, a schoolwide framework emphasizing Growth, Respect, Opportunity, Wellness and Sustainability, uniting the garden, STEAM programming and community involvement under one shared mission.

“Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen is the natural next step in Tremont’s growth and mission,” said Dr. Christopher Kelly, principal of Tremont Elementary. “A fully equipped teaching kitchen will allow students to extend their garden learning into the classroom through a cohesive, schoolwide program.”

The partnership between the Emeril Lagasse Foundation and Tremont was made possible through a generous gift from Philip Carlucci, a Long Island resident, local business owner and dedicated supporter of the Foundation.

“Tremont Elementary represents the kind of forward-thinking partner we look for,” said Brian Kish, president of Emeril Lagasse Foundation. “We’re grateful to Mr. Carlucci for making this expansion to Long Island children possible, allowing us to bring our mission to life for more students through hands-on food and nutrition education.”

School partners awarded an Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen grant receive $500,000, the Foundation’s unique curriculum, more than 100 of Chef Emeril’s recipes adapted for the classroom, gardening and cooking education best practices, teaching materials including small-ware cooking equipment, food supplies for nutrition-focused lessons and robust teacher training.

Construction of Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen at Tremont Elementary will begin this summer, with students and teachers expected to begin using the space by fall 2026.

About Emeril Lagasse Foundation

Founded in 2002 by Chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife, Alden, Emeril Lagasse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in New Orleans. The Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities to inspire, mentor and enable youth to reach their full potential. Since its inception, Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted more than $23 million to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition, and arts programs. The Foundation accomplishes this through three programs. The Community Grants program provides programmatic and capital support to nonprofit organizations across the nation. The signature program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, is a national education initiative that enriches the lives of elementary- and middle-school children through a fun, fresh perspective on food. The Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund provides culinary arts education and human services programming for Latino youth. To learn more about the Foundation and its beneficiaries, visit emeril.org, or follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

About Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District

Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District is a public school district in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, serving over 7,400 students in grades K-12. The District includes one high school, three middle schools and seven elementary schools and employs more than 1,600 administrators, faculty, and staff, who work each day to provide students with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive. For more information about the Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District, please visit the District’s website at www.pmschools.org. Happenings in the District can also be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PatMedSchools/. #PatMedPride.