CKUMB Learns the Art of Fresh Salsa

Those who walked into Boston's East Zone Early Learning Center classroom Monday, May 24 might have encountered a site a little out of the ordinary: 130 elementary students sitting eagerly in front of plates of roma tomatoes.

The tomatoes, donated by Food for Free to the Campus Kitchen at University of Massachusetts Boston, served as the base ingredient to the afternoon's salsa making lesson. Campus Kitchen coordinator Chelsea Goulart and Campus Kitchen volunteers organized the event to celebrate the recent tilling of the Campus Kitchen salsa garden on ELC-East's grounds, and show students the benefits they could soon be reaping from fresh produce.

"We wanted to show them what they would be doing once things grow," said Goulart. "And that good food can be healthy for you."

To instruct the chopping and mixing effort, Goulart invited a guest chef, Steve Dunn, to teach the students the most precise way to chop tomatoes with plastic knives. Dunn, who studied to be a chef in France, now runs his own blog, Oui, Chef, which chronicles how he teaches his kids to cook in a healthy way. Dunn is also a big contributor to Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline.

The day began with a garden tour for participating students from the university. Later, teachers sat their students at tables filled with roma tomatoes to begin the lesson. Chef Dunn gave a demonstration and students set to work chopping up the key ingredient. While they chopped with the help of Campus Kitchen volunteers, Chef Dunn prepped the cilantro to go with peppers, onions, and garlic he’d already set on the tables.

"They asked the chef questions like, 'How do you chop so fast?'" said Goulart. "The kids took a long time to cut through the tomato carefully and make sure they did it right."

Once everyone had the chance to mix the tomatoes into large bowls, they sampled their masterpiece with tortilla chips. Goulart provided canned salsa so they could recognize the difference between fresh and processed product, and the Campus Kitchen also served hummus and guacamole to introduce more healthy foods.

Even though the children were staring at a whole tomato at the beginning of the day, every single child tried – and most enjoyed – their finished product.

"The teachers and parents were really encouraging about it, and the kids saw a lot of us enjoying it," said Goulart. "All of them were willing to give it a shot."