NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Pupils at Brayton Elementary got to taste test a new side dish as chef Kyle Zegel passed out cups cider-glazed carrots on Friday for the children to try. 

 

Zegel, a food literacy facilitator, said his goal is teach children about farms and how to grow food, and to have a deeper relationship with their food system.

 

"There's this increasing separation between the natural world and ourselves, and there's this increasing separation between the food system and ourselves," he said. "And we really see that with our students, and with the increasing prevalence of technology and ways that just separate us from interacting with how our food grows. ...

 

"I think it's just really important to make sure that we're giving students accessible opportunities for experiential learning."

 

Zegel will be highlighting a "Harvest of the Month" in the North Adams Public Schools through the Massachusetts Farm to School program.

 

The district last year received a state-funded MA FRESH (Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health) grant toward scratch cooking with more local ingredients. A little less than $7,000 of the $30,000 grant the district received in December will go to Harvest of the Month program.

 

Director of Food Services Thomas Lark said it was important to connect the children to food that is grown locally. The district is sourcing through Marty's Local in Deerfield.

 

"We really want to expose kids in all the schools at all levels, to local food, to seasonal food," he said. 

 

Zegel's small business, Dig In, facilitates food literacy programs in school districts.

 

"That means anything from nutrition and culinary education, where we're building culinary skills, we're learning about nutrition of food, we're learning about the local food system, and it also means agricultural education and garden-based education," he said.

 

This month's harvest focus was on apples, thus the cider glazing on the crinkle-cut carrots.

 

The children were able to vote at the end of their lunch period on if they loved, liked, or did not like the dish. The students also had the option to say what they might do to make it better.

 

Their votes will be taken into consideration on if the side dish meal will be added to their lunches for the rest of the month. 

 

Zegel said he wants the the students to give honest opinions, and that it's OK not to like something. 

 

"I always ask, when they tell me that, OK, how would you make it better?" he said. "Because then they'll be able to feel more involved and say, oh, I want it sweeter or I want it saltier, they can feel they are genuinely are more involved with recipe creation."

 

First-grade student Georgia said she liked the carrots but she would add more salt to make it better. Ryder was not a big fan of carrots.

 

Many more kids shouted out how much they loved it or didn't like it and were excited to share how they might make it better — like adding chocolate, and even whipped cream.

 

Zegel will be coming to the lunchrooms for the next six months, helping students choose the best recipes for their meals.