Do you ever recall seeing one of those Life cereal commercials from the 70’s where two brothers discover a new cereal and neither one wants to try it, so they push it over to their younger brother and say, “Let’s get Mikey. He won’t eat it. He hates everything.”
To the amazement of his two older siblings, young Mikey starts shoveling in the cereal and can’t get enough.
Although the terminology “hates everything” is a little harsh, we’ve got some Mikey’s at Tate’s School and Camp, and to the surprise of many parents, they’re liking it. (Actually they’re loving it!) Two weeks before Christmas, our brand new kitchen opened and Chef Gerry Gardner and his talented staff are showing children that fresh, healthy food can be quite tasty.
Not only are the students trying new foods, they are actually helping to grow them in the Tate’s Teaching Garden. A few days ago our preschool and kindergarten students got to sample beets and broccoli from the garden. One mother with a daughter in kindergarten swore to the teacher that the child wouldn’t ever eat vegetables, she “hates” them . . . especially broccoli.
The amazing teacher of this class has an agreement with her students. You don’t have to like it, but you need to at least try it. What happened next? You guessed it – the little girl now has a new favorite food – BROCOLLI! The teacher even grabbed her cell phone and captured a video of the girl’s reaction.
Soon we will be sitting down with Chef Gerry to discuss the fantastic foods that we will be providing this summer. In previous parent/camper surveys, we have been asked to provide more nutritious lunches, and we have listened. Our goals are to use whole fresh ingredients, limit processed foods, and avoid products containing artificial colors, flavorings, M.S.G., preservatives, and high levels of sodium.
The kids just think it tastes yummy! At the end of the cereal commercial, the brothers yell “He likes it! Hey Mikey!” This summer we want to hear, “They like it! Hey campers!”
-Chris Strevel