Belle Chasse Academy students learning to love the food they eat at Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen

Belle Chase, La. (WGNO)— This group of students at Belle Chasse Academy is not just playing in the dirt but learning where their food comes from.

Learning to love carrots is but a small part o the big effort that is Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

“What’s happening here is magic. Magic in the garden, magic in the kitchen and these kids are learning about how to take things from seed from soil in the garden and how to watch it grow, to food preparation and what goes in their bodies,” said Brian Kish with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

The element of the program here is the outdoor garden, a greenhouse hydroponic garden and the outdoor classroom. A fun experience that pays dividends at the dinner table according to their teacher chef Ryan Galle.

“I think it’s the hands-on aspect that they get to do in the garden and then they get to take their vegetables into the kitchen and be able to taste them. I’ve never seen little kids eat so many vegetables before,” said Teacher Chef Ryan Galle.

Belle Chasse Academy is one of the two local Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen sites and there are several more across the country. Success here is measured in part by the enthusiasm of the kids.

“Studies show that if a kid grows it or cooks it they’ll eat it,” said Brian Kish, Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

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