The Egyptian Chefs Association celebrated International Chef's Day by launching its ‘Chef & Child’ Initiative using the international slogan set by WorldChefs – “Healthy Kids – Healthy Future”.
The ‘Chef & Child’ Initiative of the Egyptian Chefs Association aims to educate children and families about proper nutrition. This will be achieved through community-based initiatives led by chef members of the Association. This project will be the voice of the Egyptian culinary industry in its fight against childhood hunger, malnutrition, diabetes and obesity. The Chef & Child Initiative will operate under the recently established Charity & Community Committee of the ECA in charge of organizing all charity and community related events.
The ECA decided that there was no better way to promote this objective than by organizing a visit for school children to a farm that grows organic foods in an environmentally friendly way. Makar Farms, located on Sakara Road, agreed to host a group of 39 children from Manarat El Maadi Language School . After a short welcome by Mounir Makar himself and by Chef Hossam El Din, President of the Egyptian Chefs Association, the children went on a guided tour of the farm so as to familiarize themselves with the different crops and the care needed to grow them. Then the children prepared with the chefs their own healthy lunch using the produce of the farm.
After a fun-filled and healthy day out in the fresh air at the farm, the children returned home with stories of the day’s activities and the lessons they learned. This creative approach to improving knowledge and understanding of farm produce was a great success. Some children even bought, from their own pocket money, fresh salads, vegetables and herbs to take home to their mothers.
The Egyptian Chefs Association hopes that this visit by the Manarat El Maadi Language School will inspire other schools and institutes to make similar trips and with assistance from the Chefs Association improve the knowledge of children and families about proper nutrition.
The ‘Chef & Child' Initiative of the Egyptian Chefs Association will provide a platform for chefs to form solid partnerships with teachers, parents and school nutrition professionals so as to encourage healthy eating and proper nutrition. Activities that promote such awareness can include farm visits, cooking sessions with chefs at school, lectures or talks given by chefs and cooking competitions. Like children, your imagination is the limit!
The Egyptian Chefs Association wishes to thank all the chefs who volunteered their time on International Chefs Day for the success of the event. Special thanks are due to Chef Moustafa El Refaey, Executive Chef and Partner of Zooba Restaurants, who took care of the overall preparation and organization of the cooking event. The Association also wishes to thank Manarat El Maadi Language School for their participation and Makar Farms for the grand hospitality we enjoyed at the farm.
