60 kids, chefs whip up healthy meals

Dubai - 30 of whom were from underprivileged families and were brought in by the Emirates Red Crescent.

 About 60 children, aged 8-12 years, teamed up with 15 seasoned chefs to prepare healthy meals, marking the the International Chef Day on Sunday at the International Centre for Culinary Arts.
Celebrated chefs from the Emirates Culinary Guild held two sessions of cookery workshops from 9am to 12pm and from 1pm to 4pm for the children, 30 of whom were from underprivileged families and were brought in by the Emirates Red Crescent.
The initiative - in line with the Nestle for Healthier Kids global initiative - was conducted jointly between Nestlé Professional and the World Association of Chefs' Societies (Worldchefs), under the theme 'Healthy Foods for Growing Up'.
"Our theme this year is intended to encourage kids to think about what they would like to be when they grow up, and how healthy eating today can help them get there," said chef Joanna Ochniak, the International Chef Day chair.
One of the most popular recipes that the kids loved was the healthy pizza, which is mostly made up of vegetables - such as carrots, tomatoes and broccoli.
Roger Frei, business executive officer at Nestlé Professionals, Mena, said: "Today we are celebrating the International Chef's Day under our initiative called Nestlé for Healthier Kids, where we focus on how to impart the knowledge of eating healthy and the importance of nutrition to kids. We wanted to do it in a fun, child-like manner for the kids to relate and understand and inculcate good eating habits in their daily lives."
The sessions began with a game wherein the children were blindfolded and were given different fruits and vegetables that they had to identify by touching, feeling, and smelling. The nutritionist at the workshop also gave the kids hints about what it was and also told them about its benefits.
"Nutrition can be a bit complicated, but to make it easy, we devised a game for children and it worked," said nutritionist Maria.
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai