I really appreciate that you all have a program specifically dedicated to parents. We have been talking about this but have not quite gotten up to speed on it. Of course this email is quite different from the one I tried to send last night. I have left things out and replaced them with others. All the more reason for us to remain in touch! Once again thanks for your comments and thoughts.

Dear Ms. Brown,

I don't think my first response from last night got through. Thanks for you kind words about our program. I am glad we were able to make your day. You are right it is easy to forget about the importance of nutrition. Early on in our mentoring program sessions the greatest highlight for the boys and young men is the pizza we serve at the sessions' end. They love it and it meets our budget restrictions. However, it is important that we send the right signal about health and nutrition--always. As you know, habits develop over time and habits are only broken when there is real recognition that the habit may be detrimental to your well-being. Obviously there are many reasons why eating habits may be poor and we try to address many in the program. Clearly, the health risks, and the health statistics say we should do something about it early.

For us, the kitchen serves a metaphor for constructive change. Upon reflecting on my early experiences and the experiences of my friends, so much occurred in our family kitchen. Not only did we learn to cook there, we did homework there, had family discussions there, played board games there, entertained there. In my house as a child the living room was the museum room--seldom used and always looking perfect--but the kitchen was the spot. That's why we believe our program is much more than a cooking class and how the philosophy was developed. We hope we can develop the program more and then help spread it around!

I had an opportunity to check out your organization's web site. You are right. We do have some commonalities. We are working now to take our homework helper project--which was telephone based--to a web-based format. We are of course continuing with our mentoring activities and the College Tour.

I think the application of the Young Chefs Club to your program is excellent. It is interesting that the concept resonates even when cultural, economic, and social conditions differ. Here in the States our participants are arguably in a different cultural/survival place than your participants in Kenya. That being said, thriving is relative and the importance of garnering skills that serve as leavens to a healthier and more prosperous life cannot be understated. I believe if you can indeed partner with restaurants that your students will not only develop the culinary survival skills but will be able to immediately associate those skills with economic empowerment--what a bonus!! I think the only concern is the careful selection of restaurants. These institutions would really need to buy into your concepts. You don't want facilities to ultimately consider your students a source of cheap labor or a nuisance of sorts.

I also agree with you that there is something special about kids having the opportunity to take pride in their efforts and receive accolades from others. Having participants go through the process of selecting menus, preparing guest lists, preparing meals, serving, etc, is surely a self-esteem booster--still another ingredient to living a healthier and more prosperous life. Thanks for the comments and good luck with all of you worthwhile programs.

As you can imagine we are excited about this new program. Young men from our College Tour and the community have begun to sign up and we will convene our first meeting very soon. We have begun to look into establishing relationships with culinary schools and with the Food Program at Kingsborough Community College (where I am on the faculty in Biological Sciences). This program is in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality. We hope the relationship will lead to educational and perhaps intern/job experiences for the young men. The job placement piece certainly is in line with the portion of our program focusing on economic awareness. We are also exploring an entrepreneural link to the food industry. We have a member/mentor who is a faculty member at Hofstra University in the Business/Entrepreneural Studies Department. It would be great if we could eventually have the young men involved in the development of their own business (perhaps running a concession stand at little league or community youth basketball games or something like that). I like the notion of incorporating an income generating system. It clearly merits serious exploration. Thanks for the idea.

As we move closer to starting this program I am reminded of my own upbringing. In my childhood house, the living room was the showpiece/museum room. Only on special occasions did my parents actually entertain there. Most of the casual entertaining and conversation occurred in the kitchen. Conversing, strategizing, and growing occurred in the kitchen at the same time that something scrumptious was being prepared. This is the operating metaphor for the Young Chefs Club. Not only are culinary skills learned and practiced, but other life skills are transmitted and explored in a non-threatening and supportive atomosphere. We look forward to our "kitchen" playing a positive role in these young men's lives!

Robert,

Thanks for the suggestion. We are indeed looking for ways to establish relationships with culinary arts programs. We have initiated preliminary plans to establish a relationship with the Food Program at Kingsborough Community College. We like the idea of developing relationship with community college and other academic institutions when we consider that only few of the young men might consider a culinary career--however the "kitchen" may serve as a portal to higher education and all of its associated benefits that include better health, more income, etc. Thanks for your suggestion. We are looking forward to the start of this program. Young men have begun to sign up and there is a buzz in the community. Given that this is a brand new part of our mentoring program, we don't have any anecdotes to share as of yet. But we are really excited about getting started!