Families invited to free hands-on cooking expo
The Culinary Institute of Platt College and Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition have teamed up to host an event designed to help create a healthier Oklahoma. On October 15, from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. the parking lot in front of Platt’s north campus at 2727 West Memorial Road will transform into a giant cooking classroom and activity space. The goal of the Platt My Plate event is to get people moving and to teach them to cook a healthy meal based on the USDA “My Plate” guidelines.
In Oklahoma, one in three children are overweight or obese, we rank last in fruit and vegetable consumption and we’re on track to be the most obese state in the nation by 2018. Financially, the numbers are just as staggering. U.S. taxpayers spend $147 billion annually on the treatment of obesity related diseases. Oklahoma spends $853 million.
“The Culinary Arts program at Platt College has been offering our students a broad-based culinary education for over eight years. So, when we heard some of the recent Oklahoma health statistics it made perfect sense for us to use our expertise, our resources, our chefs and students to teach Oklahoman families some simple, healthy ways to cook,” said Mike Pugliese, President of Platt College.
The OK Fit Kids Coalition is a statewide initiative to improve the overall health and well-being of Oklahoma youth and families by reducing childhood obesity. They will be at Platt My Plate with physical activities, games, and kid-friendly recipes to encourage Oklahoma families to eat better and move more.
“Every child in Oklahoma has the right to live a happy, healthy and active life,” Director of Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition, Amber England said. “Empowering kids to make healthier choices is a way to make that happen and we couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with Platt College for such an amazing event for Oklahoma families that does just that.”
Platt My Plate is free for everyone. Spots are limited for the opportunity to cook a “My Plate” meal with Christine Dowd, Owner and Executive Chef of Trattoria Il Centro and Aunt Pitty Pats, and the award winning chefs of Platt College. Registration is located at www.plattcolleges.edu All the food and cooking materials will be provided by the Culinary Institute of Platt.
“My Plate” replaces the USDA food pyramid with updated nutritional information and encourages all families to choose to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables at every meal. More information on “My Plate” can be found at www.myplate.gov.
Several other Oklahoma organizations are teaming up with Platt and Ok Fit Kids to make this event one to remember. Dairy MAX will be present with a booth for Fuel Up to Play 60, a unique program that empowers students to make healthy eating and physical activity changes for themselves, their classmates and their school. The organization also has a game of “human bingo” planned for the kids. Sunflower Market is providing “make your own” trail mix and Schlegel’s Bicycle is providing a bicycle to giveaway to one lucky participant at Platt My Plate. The Allied Health programs of Platt College and Oklahoma Health Academy will be providing free massages and blood pressure screening.
In addition to a comprehensive program offering students a broad-based culinary education The Culinary Institute of Platt College offers Saturday cooking classes to the public called The Secrets of the Chef. Beginning January of 2012, four free Plate My Plate classes will be added to the Secrets of the Chef schedule, giving Oklahoma families an opportunity to learn to cook a healthy My Plate meal together.
Since 1979, Platt College exists with one purpose; to create a workforce of professionals with the skills and training necessary to answer the needs of today's and tomorrow's workplace. The college is located in Tulsa, Moore, Lawton, Central and North Oklahoma City as well as in Dallas, Texas. For more information call 405-946-7799, or visit plattcolleges.edu.
