The organization will be celebrating its one-year anniversary with Taking Root! A Farm Dinner at Live Earth Farm on Saturday, Oct. 5. Chef Jonathan Miller, known for his healthy cuisine, will take the helm at this public fundraising event.
Executive Director and Santa Cruz County schoolteacher Angela Farley was called to start The Teen Kitchen Project after experiencing the impact of a serious illness on her own family. Starting in 2011, her youngest son, who is now doing OK, battled a rare form of lung cancer, undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy.
“I had the idea of what the spiritual component [of a project] would be, to be held by your community in a time of need by being provided nourishing meals, Farley says of how she got the idea. Food is an age-old way of showing love and support and providing comfort for others, but it wasn’t until Farley spent one week training at the Ceres Community Project in Sebastopol that she realized such an effort should revolve around whole, healthful foods.
“[There] I connected more deeply about what kinds of foods would make up the ‘nourishing’ part of this puzzle,†she says. “Then I realized it is more of a culture change to send healthy meals and bring organic, whole foods cooking to a place where it represents a way to show love to another.â€
Under the tutelage of the Project’s skilled staff, and with donations from Live Earth Farm, Mariquita Farm, Coke Farms, Route 1 Farms and Whole Foods, participating teens help make three main dishes, a soup, a side and a dessert each week. Farley describes the food as “clean and simple,” with limited processed ingredients and a focus on organic. A recent menu included items like Velvety Red Lentil Dahl and Brown Rice as the vegetarian main dish, Herbed Lemon Chicken and Cauliflower Sauteed as the meat option, Creamy Kale Soup, and a Butternut Squash Casserole. “We go through a lot of kale,†Farley notes.
The result has been a transformation in the eating habits of both the clients and the teen volunteers.
“The clients, who are already facing a significant health challenge and may not have the energy to eat well, have the organic, two-thirds plant-based food fresh and available, making it easy for them to be open to trying a new way of eating,” she explains.
Many of their clients live alone, she adds, which is why it’s so meaningful for them to get this sort of support.
The teens, who make the food on Tuesday evenings so that it can be delivered by adult volunteers (called “Delivery Angels”) the next day, often get thank you cards and messages from the clients that reveal to them the impact they’re having. Their own lives are being affected, as well, from the process of learning to prepare and cook healthy meals. They are given recipes from each week’s menu, and Farley says they often reproduce the dishes at home.
“We’ve received positive feedback from parents about how this has changed the family eating dynamics,” she says.
The program is currently all volunteer-run, and the upcoming fundraiser is aimed at allowing the organization to fully fund its Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager positions.
“Our first year has unfolded so wonderfully, as we have felt such strong community support,” she says. We set out to create an organization that was multi-faceted, with many beneficiaries, and so far, so good.”
Taking Root! A Farm Dinner takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Live Earth Farm. Tickets are $100 per person and include a family-style, multi-course meal, beer and wine. For tickets and more information, visit teenkitchenproject.org/calendar or contact Angela Farley at 831-316-4540 x707 or angela@nullteenkitchenproject.org.
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