The Days Of Taste - The Art Of Culinary Goodness

Days of Taste® is a national discovery-based program of The American Institute of Wine & Food. It was modeled after a French program called "Journée de Gout," which means "Days of Taste." Julia Childs and Robert Mondavi were two of the founders who brought it to America.The first Days of Taste® took place in New York City in 1995. This program teaches students about food and how it travels from farm to table.  It also takes the opportunity to teach the arts and graces of working together, making pleasant conversation and learning about food. Our school was one of five schools in North Texas that had the opportunity to participate in this incredible program.

The kids learned about their palate, taste buds and experimented with various flavors. 

A local chef taught us about his career and some of the ins and outs of owning a restaurant. 

Then some members of the AIWA took groups of kids out to the market to purchase fresh food from the farmers. Each child had $1 to spend, but first they had to come up with a plan to use their money to meet the needs of their recipes. Some kids learned quickly how to barter with the market vendors.

They took their goodies back to the test kitchen where they were washed. Then the fun began. The kids sliced and diced and made amazing salads! 

The conversation was focussed and the kids were on task. The kids were so proud of themselves and their creations. The salads were healthy and delicious!

After we cleaned up and thanked our hosts, we shuttled off to learn about food distribution at Chefs Foods. We walked into the cold fridges where food is stored before shipped out to restaurants, grocers and even our school district. 

This was a perfect extension of our Healthy Zone School program! We branched out to learn what others are doing in our city about food and healthy living and had a great time doing it!

Look How Far We Have Come

This is the view of the farm 2 years ago. The back of our school was an area that was infrequently used. It also had full day southern exposure, so it was the best choice as to where to plant our crops.

This is what it looks like now.

Today our farm is buzzing with activities during the school day, after school and even on weekends.

In addition to our school farm setting down roots in our community, many families in our neighborhood are starting their own gardens and farming at home.

Growing Goodness and Hatching Healthiness...,

We can't wait to see what next year brings!

Farm To Table

Having a farm at our school has opened doors in many different directions. This year our 5th graders were very fortunate and had the chance to experience an incredible field trip. The International Wine and Food Association sponsored an event called The Days Of Taste. It was originally founded by the famous chef Julia Child and wine maker Robert Mondavi.

We arrived at an enormous test kitchen in the heart of the Dallas Farmers Market. The kids sat along the edges of the room while local chef Duni Boga from La Duni captivated them with stories of how and why she became the celebrated pastry chef and restauranteur that she is today.

After spending time in the test kitchen, the students broke into small groups and set off with members of the Dallas Chapter of the International Wine and Food Association to meet with local farmers who were selling their home grown produce at the market.

Their mission was to choose ingredients to make pasta, fruit and green salad with a limited budget. They worked together as a group to pick fresh locally grown produce for their ingredients.

Back in the kitchen, the teams of kids created their lunches.

At the very end, Chef Boga rewarded us with her amazing cupcakes.

In learning about the different career opportunities in the farm to table industry, I can't help but think that a few of our friends were inspired to consider that path down the line. Great trip! Great people! Great food!