Food Literacy Project Opens Outdoor Kitchen at Oxmoor Farm

The Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farm will open a new outdoor kitchen today to further the program’s experiential education for underserved children. The kitchen is on location at Oxmoor Farm so that kids can follow the food from ‘field to fork’.Project executive director Carol Gundersen says the field to fork idea is important to its mission because it furthers the children’s knowledge of the food they eat.“It’s really about inspiring a new generation of people to build relationships with food and farming and the land" she says. "Giving young people a hands-on sort of sensory experience of the farm getting their hands dirty planting, harvesting and tasting the food.”The Food Literacy Project takes kids through the process of growing and harvesting food to learn more about fresh, healthy foods and how it gets to their table.The outdoor kitchen is the program’s first capital project since its inception, and Gundersen says the food preparation experience will greatly enhance the program’s position.“You know in some ways I think we see the kitchen as more than just a building, although it is a lovely building," says Gundersen. "In some ways it’s really a promise for our future and it says we’re here and we’re committed and we’re ready to deliver on our mission.”Kids in the kitchen will be able to take the fresh foods they have harvested and learn to create their own recipes, which they will evaluate and refine by the end of their program.The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held today at Oxmoor Farm, where the programs are held for schools, adults and community centers.