Cookin' Tex-Mex with Operation Frontline

By: Elizabeth Stahl, Communication Intern Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend an Operation Frontline class taught at St. Augustine College.  Attending the first class of the series, I was excited to witness the enthusiasm of the teens and to experience a class for myself.  IFFS intern Whitney Hlubik opened the class with nutrition facts and information on the food pyramid.  Learning that I need more veggies in my diet, the class also taught me that people commonly overlook the grains portion of the food pyramid as well as the vegetable servings.

The class then moved to a cooking demonstration, where the teens could experience first hand how to prepare “Tex-Mex Skillet” to add to either soft-shell tacos or tortilla chips.  Chef Nick reviewed basic knife skills when dicing fresh, local tomatoes, peppers, and onions for the meal.  Instead of using ground beef, the class opted for lean ground turkey instead, a more health-conscious choice. Most of the teens had never tasted parsley before, some were hesitant to add it to their tacos but in the end the majority of them enjoyed the healthy addition.   Once everything was prepared the teens got to sit and enjoy while discussing how they can prepare this meal and similar meals for themselves at home.  The food was delicious;  you should try to make the "Tex-Mex Skillet" for yourself- I know I will!

1. Make sure to thoroughly cook the turkey, adding salt and pepper to taste.

2. Make sure to carefully cut peppers, tomatoes, and onions.

**The OFL class even used some fresh veggies from the IFFS farm which provides fresh fruits and vegetables to community members in need.

3.  Once meat is browned, begin sauteing the veggies!

4. Add black beans and corn to the turkey and vegetables.  Stir everything together adding seasoning.

5.  Once everything is cooked, sprinkle with fresh tomatoes.  Enjoy over tortilla chips or in a whole-grain soft tacos.  Adding fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream is optional.

A big thanks to the students for letting me join them, and also to Whitney and Amanda!

Don't forget to eat your veggies-Whitney says so!

It's that time again- here is another dose of Elizabeth's Friday Full of Fun! If your favorite desert is pecan pie, nutrition intern Whitney Hlubik might recommend a new one to you! For this week’s Friday Full of Fun, I ventured down the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle hallway to her office to find out more about Whitney and the nutrition programs at IFFS!  Originally from New Jersey, Whitney attended St. Louis University.  She also had an internship at East Carolina University, and is currently working on her Maters of Public Health at the University of Chapel Hill while interning with us here at the Food Shuttle.  Whitney not only interns with IFFS but she is also filling in as the Registered Dietitian while Katherine is on maternity leave.

I went in and asked her a few questions and I also attended an Operation Frontline class at St. Augustine campus, a six-week series of nutrition lessons and hands-on cooking.  Whitney taught the nutrition portion of the class and then Chef Nick took over and prepared a “tex-mex” dish with the teens! The class put an entertaining twist on eating healthy- click here for a detailed blog with photos of the class!

Have you enjoyed interning at IFFS so far?

“Yes, of course!  I chose IFFS because of its goals and mission- they have a very positive outlook on feeding people.  I wanted to be involved in Feeding America, etc.”

What do you enjoy most about fighting hunger?

Knowing that I am actually making a difference”

What is your guilty pleasure food?

“Dark chocolate-which I have everyday!”

What is one food group you wish more people ate?

“Vegetables!  People eat a lot of fruit but never enough vegetables.”

What is one thing you wish more people did?

“Eat more meals at home!”

What is the worst thing anyone could eat

Pecan pie- its pure sugar!”

Whitney works hard and eats right- but she could still use your help!  She needs volunteers for short nutrition demos at the Food Shuttle's mobile farmers markets!!” Please email hlubikwa@gmail.com for more information and volunteer opportunities.  Many thanks to Whitney- and remember to swap that slice of pecan pie for some fresh vegetables!

Saturday morning crew call is a party on the farm!

By: Nyssa Collins, NC State correspondent

A good turnout can bring twenty volunteers spilling out of cars.  We are students and professors from NC State. We are parents and kids of any age, and families from the neighborhood, wondering what the heck is going on.  We are school groups, church groups, and service groups (Haven House reliably sends a solid team). We are individuals who don’t have farm and garden experience, and wish we did.  We arrive by van or carpool or bicycle any Saturday morning at 9:00am to the Food Shuttle Farm at 4505 Tryon Road.

The assembled crew – wearing fanny packs and sipping from water bottles – gathers around Sun for assignment. On the to-do list for the third Saturday of June:

• Suckering and tying tomatoes
• feeding the worms
• turning compost
• spreading mulch between the rows.

The intrepid Haven House kids grab wheel barrows and rakes, and head toward the mulch pile.  The rest of us want to know what “suckering a tomato” means before we agree to anything.

A tomato sucker grows between the main branches of the tomato plant.  They are tricky to spot because they look very similar to tomato branches and eventually get flowers and tomatoes of their own.  Suckering is popping off the adventitious (out of place) branch with clippers or your hands – which will soon turn green from touching tomato plans. Why pull off tomato suckers, if they will grow tomatoes? Because they are SUCKERS: suckers of energy and sunlight from the rest of the plant.  Growing these extra branches is inefficient if you want a few big and juicy tomatoes.  It’s like if you have too many hobbies – you’re so overbooked you can’t do any of them well.

By 11:00, tomato tying and suckering is done, and the conversation invariably turns to food. (This is because we are starting to get hungry!)  Any serious student of food and health somehow finds his way to the farm, eventually.  For this reason, you can’t find a better place to trade recipes or learn how to cook a vegetable.  Before humans get to eat lunch, the WORMS get to eat lunch.

The day is sure to wrap up by noon or 1:00, because it is already near 90 degrees.  We’ve done some important work that would have been much harder with fewer people, and even managed to learn a couple of things.  The day’s end doesn’t mean work on the farm is done: volunteers come out 7 days a week.  After a hard morning’s work, most volunteers head home for the day. Some sit for a picnic in the shade with new friends.  They’re resting up for more farming in the afternoon!

Prepping for tomorrow's dinner at the Nasher Museum

As the Culinary Artist for Thursday's dinner at the Nasher Museum, Chef Terri is busy in the kitchen this afternoon preparing for tomorrow's art inspired menu! Today's featured art on the blog is a watercolor of  fresh produce for tomorrow's meal.

Still haven't made your reservations? Go here to reserve a spot.

An exclusive look at the 51st Culinary Job Training Program graduation!

5 energetic and hard-working students graduated on Friday from the Culinary Job Training Program!

Completing the 11 week course is no easy task, but graduation day serves as a time of celebration and new beginnings. Preparing a fantastic meal to serve at the ceremony for friends and family is the final exam, and these students passed with flying colors!

The videos below give you an exclusive look at what happens around the Food Shuttle and in the kitchen on graduation day:

Chef Terri's art inspired menu at the Nasher Museum

Today we're unveiling Chef Terri's impressive art inspired menu for the  "Summer Days, Nasher Nights" series at the Nasher Museum on June 24th! As we mentioned last week, you won't want to miss this culinary masterpiece on Thursday night.  Make reservations online for the 3 course dinner, plus you'll have no extra charge for museum admission. Take a look at the menu below!

This three-course meal of excellence (for only $30!) inspired us to attempt creating another work of art- this time we were inspired by impressionism!

Elizabeth's Friday Full of Fun!

It's Elizabeth again with more Friday Full of Fun! This week I met with Chef Will and one of the CJTP students, Tracy! Life under the hairnet for Chef Will is full of excitement!  The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle created the Culinary Job Training Program in 1998 and this eleven week program allows students to not only learn how to cook but also give back to the community.  The goal of CJTP is to help students obtain employment upon graduation in a food service position.  People like Chef Will and Chef Terri are dedicated to spreading their culinary knowledge to individuals in need and to give back to others.  Chef Will slices and dices his way to happiness while inspiring others to be self-sufficient and passionate about their work.  I decided to meander back to the kitchen one afternoon and see what was cooking!

What inspires you most about CJTP?

“Being able to give back is what it’s all about for me.  To share my experiences with people and give them a boost in their own careers gives more meaning to what I do”

What is your favorite thing to cook and what is your guilty pleasure food?

“I love cooking Asian inspired dishes- they are always very light with bold flavors and colors- it really puts me in a good mood.  Chocolate is my guilty pleasure food for sure, except it is hard because I am Vegan and have to substitute sometime- it’s just not the same!”

What activities do you enjoy other than cooking?

“I enjoy exercising and running.   I am also in school part-time which takes up a lot of my time, but I joke around the rest of the time, I’m a nut!”

What do you enjoy most about fighting hunger?

“Just the idea of bringing hope to someone that is hopeless makes my day worthwhile.  I don’t make the money that I used to but I have more pleasure in what I am doing here- it is much more meaningful at the end of the day.  I am able to give back and change lives- nothing compares.”

What is life like under the hairnet?

“I get to be creative!  I enjoy recovering food and not only change people’s perspectives but change someone’s day.”

What is one thing you wish more people did?

“I wish people would take less for granted and appreciate the privileges they have”

How often do you burn or cut yourself accidentally?

“Not that often anymore, maybe once a month…but I miss the days when I would because if I don’t I feel like I’m not really working…it keeps you on your toes.  But I guess it also means that since I don’t that often anymore that I have matured my cooking skills.”

What is the most relaxing thing about cooking?

“I enjoy gathering food and deciding what exactly I am going to do with it”

What is one thing that you cannot live without in the kitchen?

“Definitely a sharp knife and my spidey-sense!”

Many thanks to Chef Will and all of his hard work!  The IFFS kitchen would simply not be the same without him!  One of his students, Tracy Seegars, shared a few words with me also.

CJTP Student Tracy Seegars

What is your favorite thing about the CJTP program, Tracy?

“Cooking!  I love learning different things and new techniques!”

What is your favorite thing to make?

“Biscuits and rolls from scratch.  I also enjoy making chutney.  You see biscuits in the store but it's just not the same- when you do it yourself it is an accomplishment knowing that you can!”

Do you enjoy fighting hunger?

“It makes me feel really good; I truly enjoy giving back.”

Other than CJTP, what activities do you enjoy?

“I really enjoy learning more about herbs- I used to think they were just weeds but they are so much more! They are plants you can grow, use, and eat!”

What is one thing you wished more people did?

I wish more people would give back- like the CJTP program, you can change lives when you give back.”

Do you enjoy working with the professional chefs?

“Chef Will is the best; he gives so much and is a true role model to me.  He always gives 100%; he is my idol!  I wish more people could be like him.  Chef Terri always makes sure we know what to do- she actively makes sure we understand things.  Mrs. Sharon is my support system- she provides motivation and lets us know that everything is okay!”

Tracey, Chef Will, and the other CJTP students are all valuable teachers- without them IFFS could not give cooked food to our different agencies or help out the community!  This program allows you to cook your way to greatness while helping others along the way. Watch for more Friday Full of Fun next week!

Art, Art everywhere and not a drop to drink

We here at the Behind the Scenes blog think we know you a little bit. You loved us when we celebrated Bob Dylan's partnership with Feeding America. You were estatic when we observed National Poetry Month. We get it. You come to the blog because you are passionate about fighting hunger, but you are also urbane and sophisticated. You appreciate the finer things in life and we do to. So we are proud to announce a fantastic partnership, a unique intersection of Art and Hunger Relief: our very own Chef Terri Hutter is the Culinary Artist at the Nasher Museum in Durham for June! This is part of the Nasher's "Summer Days, Nasher Nights" series.  Chef'll be cooking up an art inspired three course dinner next Thursday, June 24.Check it out here. Keep coming back to the blog for more info on the dinner and some surprises. We are pretty darn inspired and will be creating some high quality art to commemorate this honor. Here's our first effort: Warhol Chef

Melissa's final stretch on the Pound for Pound Challenge!

The end is in sight! Losing 40 pounds by her 40th birthday in June is no small feat, but Melissa is finishing strong with only 3 pounds to go to help the Food Shuttle drive hunger from the community. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle will receive a pound of food for every pound of weight pledged on the Pound for Pound Challenge website. Many thanks to Melissa for sharing her experiences on the blog!

By: Melissa Wajnert Hartzell

"I can see the finish line...only 3 more pounds to go. So far I have lost 37 pounds in the Pound for Pound Challenge... Do you think I will be able to help hungry people by achieving my goal of losing 40 pounds by June 30th? I sure hope so... and I will take any and all advice, positive energy, prayers, pledges, etc. Thank you to my friends and family who have been supporting me... here is to the final stretch... Here is to the last 3 pounds in 14 days!"

Read Melissa's previous blog post here.

Crew Call 6/15-6/19

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm and Garden

Crew-Call June 15, 2010

Whew, it is HOT out there! Sun and Steven are at the farm mornings (9-1p) and late afternoons (4-6, sometimes as late as 8p) but are getting out of the heat during the middle of the day. Please make sure to email Sun if you are coming out to help and don’t forget to bring a bottle of water, sunscreen (bug spray if you are working in the gardens!) and even a granola bar or light snack to help keep you going!

VOLUNTEER TIMES & EVENTS

Farm, Work day, Saturday between 9a-2p (4505 Tryon Road)

• We need 10 volunteers that can each commit 2-3 hours this Saturday!
• It’s harvest time! Tomatoes, cukes and squash are ready to be picked!
• Reserve your spot with Sun (sun@foodshuttle.org) so he knows you’re coming out to help!

NEW DIRECTIONS! No, the farm hasn’t changed location, we’re just asking that all volunteers park at 4505 Tryon Road, where the IFFS Farm sign is now set. Once you park your car, walk across the field towards the greenhouse; Sun and Steven will be in that general area.

• Irvin Learning Farm, 8a-12p (2912B Jones Ferry Road, Chapel Hill)
  • The Food Shuttle and Triangle Land Conservancy are starting a new teaching farm at TLC's Irvin Learning Farm outside of Carrboro on Jones Ferry Rd.  Ben Reith needs help roto-tilling, planting and spreading mulch.  If you live near Chapel Hill this is a great opportunity to help start a teaching farm from the ground up.  Please email Sun (sun@foodshuttle.org) if you are able to help.

Directions From Chapel Hill: Go west on NC 54 Bypass and take the Jones Ferry Road exit. Turn left onto Jones Ferry Road and follow 3.6 miles to the Irvin Learning Farm sign on the left. Follow the signs indicating the gravel driveway on the left.  Go past the barns and house, take the next dirt path on the left. The garden is down the hill.

Community Gardens Work times:

Neighbor to Neighbor                   Tuesday              4-5:00pm

Mayview                                                 Wednesday       4-5:00pm

Alliance Medical Ministry         Thursday           4-5:00pm

• We’re working with community members and youth to grow their gardens!
• We need 3 volunteers for each work day- email Amanda (Amanda@foodshuttle.org) if you can help.
• Garden Addresses/Directions: Neighbor to Neighbor is at 1200 S Blount Street; 1 story brick building on right with long chain link fence.  The Mayview garden site is located down the grassy hill behind the duplex at 2136 Mayview Rd (backing up to the Jaycee field). Alliance Medical Ministry is located at the corner of New Bern Ave. and Donald Ross Dr. at 101 Donald Ross.

Vote for the Food Shuttle!

Today is the last day to vote for the Food Shuttle and Triangle Land Conservancy to create teaching farms in each of the counties the Food Shuttle serves. If you have yet to vote, please click here:   http://www.justmeans.com/contestidea?ideaid=NDg4 Thank you for your support!

PAR (Plant a Row for the Hungry) – sign up to become a member!

• The IFFS PAR program encourages people to grow extra and/or donate excess produce to people in need through IFFS.  We will have weekly PAR produce drop-off sites at locations around our 7 county service area, including at Logan’s on Saturday mornings.
• If you are interested in becoming a member (donating produce from your own harvest) or know of a farmers market or store that might be interested in becoming a PAR drop-off site please contact Don at don@foodshuttle.org.

FARM & GARDENS BLOG

Keep up with what’s going on with our Farm & Gardens and PAR programs through the IFFS blog farmsandgardens.wordpress.com.  Use the blog to check out weekly ripe recipes, find yourself in photos of weekly crew calls, hear from other volunteers, and stay up to date with activities at IFFS.  Let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the blog!

GARDEN SUPPLIES:

We are still in need of hand-tool donations.  We gladly accept new and/or lightly used equipment. Thanks to all who have responded.

New Volunteer?

If you have not filled out a volunteer form or have a friend who is interested in helping out please email Janet at (rgsjrs@aol.com)

Stay cool and we hope to see you at the farm and gardens!

Sun, Amanda, Steven, Elizabeth & Katherine