Inspired by Stephanie Alexander

For over a decade, Eaglehawk Primary School has been part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Our VCAL Services students visited to see their garden and learn about the program. They assisted the Grade 4s and 5s to make 5 mouth-watering dishes. It was great to see the ‘big’ and ‘little’ kids working together to produce yummy food.

Stephanie Alexander began her Kitchen Garden Foundation in an effort to see children form positive food habits for life. It is all about pleasurable food education.

As part of the Year 10/11 VCAL Services nutrition unit, students visited Eaglehawk Primary School to gain a better understanding of the program. Our students could see and experience firsthand how the Grade 4/5 students managed their kitchen garden and how they took their fresh produce and produced mouth-watering dishes.

Catherine McAuley College assisted the primary students to produce five different dishes that could then be eaten as a shared lunch. Dishes included pumpkin risotto, vegetable bake, cauliflower & broccoli balls, tomato salsa & flatbread chips, imagination green salad and a wonderful banana cake.

Working in five mixed primary/secondary groups students were given a recipe, ingredients and instructions to make their own dish. The conversations were wonderful – CMC students learnt a lot about the history of the Stephanie Alexander program at Eaglehawk Primary.

The primary students were very positive about trying everything on their plate and explained to our students how their cooking skills and independence have developed. It was also amazing to see the initiative, teamwork, communication and management of all students involved throughout the day.