Middle school students from Glasgow and Thoreau Middle Schools received a variety of cooking tools so they can practice their newly-learned cooking skills at home at the closing reception of the “Teen Chefs on the Move!” program on Thursday, January 5, at 1:30 p.m. at Chesterbrook Residences in Falls Church. Glasgow and Thoreau Middle Schools are Fairfax County public schools. Chesterbrook Director of Food Services, Ray Riddle, was an instrumental participant in the program.

Teen Chefs on the Move! is a joint partnership with the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Food and Nutrition Services, the After School Middle School Program, and the Nation’s Capital Chef’s Association (NCCA). The eight week program was offered after school during the fall at both Thoreau and Glasgow Middle Schools. Students were taught a variety of culinary competencies ranging from proper sanitation to basic skills to how to prepare fruits, vegetables, and whole grains using an array of cooking techniques. The teen chefs toured a local grocery store to learn how to shop for healthy and affordable food and to see how a grocery store operates behind the scenes.

Teen Chefs on the Move! was designed to support First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative. It also complements the Office of Food and Nutrition Services’ nutrition education efforts and partnership with the NCAA.