In the cafeteria at Ashley Elementary, culinary students from Johnson & Wales, Cameron Fiorenza and Katherine Daminski, talk about nutrition with students.

In May, junior and senior culinary students from Johnson & Wales University (JWU) visited Ashley Elementary to discuss nutrition and cooking. Ninety-two percent of the children who attend Ashley qualify for free and reduced-price lunch programs.

Ben Tillisch and Kristina Espinoza laugh watching a student try on his chef hat.

“This is our turf, our home, and we recognize Ashley is under-served. We want to ignite that awareness of healthy eating,” says Adam Sacks, head chef. His culinary class prepared 120 box lunches for fourth- and fifth-graders. The lunches included a variety of small dishes for the kids to get exposed to different tastes. There were vegetarian, and gluten- and lactose-free options. Each box included recipes in English and Spanish, as most of the students at Ashley are native Spanish speakers.

“The food was really crunchy and good,” said Ruby Sanchez-Romero, a student at Ashley. She says her family normally packs her a sandwich for lunch so this was different.

To learn what else JWU does in the community, visit jwu.edu.

Ben Tillisch and Kristina Espinoza laugh watching a student try on his chef hat.

Ashley students receive high fives as they exit the cafeteria.