Chefs from Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, NC, recently went to nearby East Chapel Hill High School to educate the students on the importance of eating whole grains as part of the Chefs 2 Schools initiative. Under Chefs 2 Schools, guest chefs 'adopt' a local school district, make occasional planned visits to designated schools, focus on healthy meals and educate students about sound eating habits and food preparation.
At the East Chapel Hill event, Rex Healthcare chefs Jim McGrody and Ryan Conklin provided students with samples of a vegetarian wheatberry chili, which has become a favorite in their cafeteria and is a great option for those considering a "flexitarian" diet that decreases the intake of meats. Many East Chapel Hill High students had never heard of wheatberries before. The chefs passed out recipes for them to try at home and displayed what the berries looked like in their raw stage. In all, over 200 samples were given out.
"If we can get 10 students to say they like wheatberries, the event was a success," says Conklin. "We got way more than that to confess to us that day that they really enjoyed the dish."