NEW GASTRONOMIC CULTURE PROGRAM Looking for Recipes, Books, and Cultural Items BY annette alfonsi
The Anchorage School District, Bridge Builders, and Unmasking Brain Injury - Alaska are working together to provide culturally diverse food samples to students during the 2019-2020 school year. They are looking for recipes that can be used as additions to the lunch menu, and that can be modified to serve hundreds of students. The number of schools that participate will be based on the types of recipes received. Desserts and baked items are easiest for the school district to make. Please help them get authentic Hispanic/Latino recipes to share with students!
They are also looking for donated items to add to a “learning box”, which teachers can use for enrichment activities about food and culture. These items could include things like books and stories that mention food (stories do not have to be about food specifically), original CDs with child friendly music from a specific country, traditional cookware or serving dishes, serving utensils, and cultural items from a specific area. Donations will be kept by the school district.
Unmasking Brain Injury discovered an interest from community members about nutrition and brain health in children, and a desire for culturally diverse food options to be more widely available. They spoke with the Anchorage School District and Bridge Builders, who decided to offer additions to the school menu once per quarter. Themes for foods will include African, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino. Share recipes, donations and donation ideas for this project by emailing Annette Alfonsi at AlaskanAnnette@gmail.com.
