On Oct. 6, Stanford Dining launched a new culinary education program for Stanford students: Jamie Oliver’s Cook Smart Program, in collaboration with the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. The non-profit is led by celebrity chef and television personality Jamie Oliver, who is best known for his cooking show “The Naked Chef.”
“We are very pleased to announce R&DE Stanford Dining’s new culinary education course, Jamie Oliver’s Cook Smart program, in the Teaching Kitchen @ Stanford,” said Eric Montell, in a statement from Stanford Dining. “We fundamentally believe in educating students in the use of healthy cooking techniques and sustainable ingredients, and we passionately believe that this knowledge can help them live healthier lives — at Stanford and beyond.”
The program, which is the first of its kind in the nation, consists of nine-week cooking classes taught by trained and certified chefs from Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE). This fall, the eight-person classes met weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The class curriculum teaches basic kitchen and food skills to participants in a hands-on, engaging fashion, which helps students gain confidence in their cooking abilities. In addition, the course teaches core principles of nutrition and sustainable food, using education modules developed by the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation.
“The partnership between Stanford Dining and the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation is incredibly exciting because it allows my team to really make an impact with Stanford students where better nutrition is concerned,” Oliver told Stanford Dining. “I’m extremely grateful to Stanford Dining for working alongside us.”
According to the statement, the program intends to provide opportunities for students to build life skills relating to food, while supporting community building and helping to create a culture of health and wellness at Stanford. In addition, the class aims to inspire change through increased understanding of the food we consume.
Contact Albert Zhang at albertzh ‘at’ stanford.edu.