Healthier You Show cohosts Wendy and Alana discuss Culinary Arts Kids Eat with Chef Melisa Nicola, Chef Lisbeth Caiaffa and Emilio Rivera April 2014

Melisa Nicola
President, Culinary Arts Kids Eat (C.A.K.E); Co-Owner, Nic’s Beverly Hills, Food Ambassador

Melisa Nicola has devoted her life to exposing people to fresh, healthy, delicious food, and her intention is to make that food accessible, affordable and available in every neighborhood. Ms. Nicola has co-owned four restaurants in Los Angeles, California having-thirty years of entrepreneurial experience. Currently she is part of the creative team at Nic’s Beverly Hills overseeing the operations of the business. An opportunity to become an architect of change in an inner city high school was offered to her. She was given the chance to transform lives. Working as a teacher in a south central high school she shared her passion for culinary arts, and through that vehicle educated students- inspiring them through knowledge on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Ms. Nicola is the president of Culinary Arts Kids Eat, (CAKE) a philanthropic non-profit formed to enrich the lives of kids through the culinary arts. She co-created two pilot programs within L.A.U.S.D both centered on inspiring a healthy change in foods served to teens. Students became the culinary experts and prepared fresh healthy L.A.U.S.D. approved salads for their school. Her work as a food ambassador has continued with The American Heart Association. Here she has co –piloted a curriculum called “Harvest With Heart” teaching life skills to inner city teens. These students are now the vehicle for change and are ambassadors of health.

Lisbeth Caiaffa
Co-Founder, Culinary Arts Kids Eat (C.A.K.E); Teacher, Culinary Arts, Santee Education Complex

Lisbeth Caiaffa is the co-founder of the Culinary Arts Kids Eat (C.A.K.E.) non-profit organization, which was formed to enrich the lives of kids through the culinary arts. Caiaffa is both a trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America as well as a certified Master Gardener through the UC Cooperative Extension Program. In addition to being the Culinary Arts teacher at Santee Education Complex, she also is a private chef through her company, Flavor Organico.

Emilio Rivera
Student ambassador at Santee High School Culinary Arts Kids Eat program, Los Angeles, California

*Bios courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/HealthierYouWithWendy

*Video courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKvn1TD9z2jo3R4gpJyPgA