Each year on October 20, International Chefs Day is celebrated worldwide.
This year’s theme is ‘Healthy Kids – Healthy Future.’ To celebrate, chefs engage with a local school, nursery school or kindergarten in their community to teach them about healthy eating.
On Tuesday the Food and Beverage team from Radisson Blu Resort Fiji at Denarau Island, Nadi, visited Hindu Mahasabha Primary School to celebrate the event in conjunction with Fiji Chefs Association.
Led by award winning executive chef, Brent Assam, and Food and Beverage director Hani Daher, about 65 school children were treated to a cooking demonstration and fun activities relating to healthy diets.
Mr Assam said: “Healthy eating is important to everyone, but children in particular need to receive all the necessary nutrients for growth and development.
“By conducting this fun and interactive session with them, their knowledge and motivation will hopefully have increased to ensure they look after themselves through a balanced eating lifestyle.”
Pineapple pancakes and coconut, banana and chocolate smoothies were on the menu, with an emphasis on using local ingredients and simple recipes that can be easily created at home.
Head teacher Anil Kumar thanked the resort for helping the children.
“Today is one of the best days in the history of the school to be able to celebrate our partnership with Radisson Blu Resort Fiji and International Chefs Day has created many happy moments for our teachers, students and parents,” he said.
“The morning has highlighted to our community the importance of healthy eating and created a new awareness of the benefits of a nutritional diet.
“It is very timely that our students who have just finished exams and are thinking about a future can see first-hand professional chefs at work. Perhaps it will inspire some to think about this as a career when they leave school.”
Students enjoyed assisting with the food preparation, participating in competitions and having the opportunity to ask questions.
Radisson Blu Resort Fiji prides themselves on their community work through their ‘Adopt-a-School Programme’, with 27 local schools benefitting from computer donations and library set-ups as well as other projects designed to raise educational standards. Hindu Mahasabha Primary has been the most recent recipient through this programme with the building of their new library and donation of 10 computers.
