Christina Orchid to be next school celebrity chef

Published 3:54 pm Friday, December 11, 2009

It will be another special day in the public school cafeteria when Christina Orchid, together with the enthusiastic cafeteria staff, treats the public school kids, teachers and parents to a tasty menu of spaghetti.

On Dec. 17, Orchid will prepare spaghetti without meat sauce or made with meat from Jones Family Farm as well as Tuscan bread, fresh salad and pumpkin muffins.

In the spirit of Farm to Cafeteria and “locavor-ness” to include more healthy foods and less processed foods in the school lunch menu, items will be made from scratch with the emphasis on flavorful, healthy menu items from as many locally provided products as possible.

Orchid has been, and continues to be, a strong supporter of the Farm to Cafeteria Program, most recently teaching the love and art of cooking and healthy eating to Mandy Randolph’s Farm to Classroom kids.

“Experiencing good food, learning all about how food is grown and prepared can’t be stressed enough to kids as early as possible,” Orchid said.

The roaring success of the first Celebrity Lunch last month with Charles Dalton, owner of The Kitchen, has spurred Farm to Cafeteria to make it a monthly event, inviting not only popular restaurant chefs to participate, but others on the island who the kids and parents know well as “amateur” chefs. In that spirit, Farm to Cafeteria has announced that John Steward of Maple Rock Farm will do the honors in January (date to be determined).