Healthy Lifestyle Enrichment Program
Culinary Arts Kids Eat (CAKE) partnered with Careers Through Culinary Arts Program, Los Angles (C-CAP LA) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Together we created the Healthy Lifestyle Enrichment Series to inspire “at-risk” teens to become ambassadors of health to their communities. The 2020 Fall semester series of 9 lessons, offered virtually to 200 students living in under-served communities from Long Beach to Oxnard, throughout Los Angeles County. As a team, we worked hard to not just shift to virtual programming, but to adapt to the challenges and embrace the opportunities in our current moment.
This series is set to empower youth in cultivating healthy lifestyles choices. The tremendous hurdles that youth faced during this global pandemic have been monumental. The virtual lessons in this series will prepare youth to persevere and enter the workforce and/or higher learning with confidence and necessary life skills.
As the series intended, youth prospered and developed social emotional learning techniques to navigate through extraordinary circumstances. These achievements led to an expansion of 19 lessons available in the Healthy Lifestyle Enrichment Series during Spring 2021. This series, rooted in health and wellness, re-imagines education and is set to inspire 400 “at-risk” youth to live a life of prosperity.
Our goal is to cultivate our youth to become resilient ambassadors of health and wellness and good stewards of the planet. This expanded curriculum addresses our holistic approach to mind-body-soul. Our vastly integrative program digitally explores healing arts, mindfulness, food as medicine, interpersonal communication, environmental sustainability, food styling, financial literacy, nutrition and wellness. As a final project our youth will incorporate all they have learned through the virtual series and create their own cookbook. “From Our Hood To Yours” will be a journey for our teenagers to critically think about how they view the world as they then begin to activate their life’s purpose.
Click to view the Fall 2020 Healthy Lifestyle Enrichment curriculum and outcomes of the program.
After School Program
After School w/ CAKE program was launched in 2015. Our core program provides hands on training in culinary arts and science and prepare youth for a career in the hospitality industry. Additional programming set our youth up with life skills to navigate higher learning, entering the work force, and living a healthy lifestyle.
Located on Santee Education’s Campus: youth participate in activities in the 20-raised bed organic garden, the hydroponic garden located on deck adjacent to kitchen, full commercial kitchen, various classrooms and quiet-serene spaces to enjoy yoga.
Youth enrolled in the LAUSD 5 credit elective class:
Study health – wellness – nutrition
Grow own food hydroponically
Create fresh healthy recipe
Practice mindful meditation & yoga
Develop interpersonal skills
Create cookbook, “From Our Hood to Yours”
Become social entrepreneurs
Each week our youth will work with chef mentors from the fields of culinary arts & hospitality industry. Professional’s in mindful meditation, interpersonal communications, wellness-nutrition, yogis and social entrepreneurship.
Goal is to gift youth every ingredient needed to become educated, social & articulate entrepreneurial and balanced. They receive tools, toolkit and resources to achieve their goals. They are now prepared for a life of prosperity and to become agents of change.
In-School Curriculum
Beginning with life, youth explore our soil, how plants grow and the nutrients that make life possible. Ocean life and how the farm can arrive to the table.
Students study classical and contemporary culinary techniques, as well as develop critical thinking skills within an integrated front-of-the-house curriculum.
CAKE has partnered with C -CAP ( Careers through Culinary Arts Program) who provide job training, internships, and curriculum enrichment for high school culinary classrooms. Additionally: scholarships, college advice and professional development.
Students receive hands-on education in food production and education in cooking, cost control, nutrition and sanitation. Studies include advanced techniques in classical/regional cuisines, grade manger, patisserie/dessert and a variety of international dining room training and services. The CAKE program also provides students with the opportunities to test their skills through national competitions which will open up doors to higher educational opportunities through scholarship’s and donor gifts.
Students’ receive mentor-ship from seasoned professionals in the fields of culinary arts, hospitality, nutrition, health advocacy, and video and film production.Program graduates will be positioned with the knowledge, skills and connections to pursue careers in some of the world’s best full-service restaurants, hotels, and catering operations.
Career opportunities in Hospitality Industry
Over 16 million people are employed in the hospitality industry. By 2025 1.7 million new restaurant positions will be needed to be filled by hard-working and dedicated staff
We are primed to prepare our youth for a successful full time career or as a part time worker in the process of exploring and advancing their career.
Summer Program
Our after school curriculum continues with a summer program that continues to teach students. Our 6-week, intensive summer program partners with with a nationally recognized health organization to employ, train and help participants develop gardening, entrepreneurial, and healthy life skills.
