Harmons Gets Kids Cooking

CHRISTINA VEIDERS

SALT LAKE CITY — On June 13 kids will take over the kitchen at Harmons' cooking school here to make whole wheat pizza topped with home-made sauce, chicken and roasted veggies with a salad and gelato with berries for dessert.

This will be the first of monthly cooking events designed for kids, ages 4-14, to learn about healthy food, cooking and sharing with family, said Jessica LaRoche, Harmons' dietitian.

The first event, which can accommodate 18 people, was nearly sold out online two weeks ago. The session cost $15 for one person or $10 each for family members.

“We wanted to sponsor something for families to get their kids involved in a hands-on experience. We have a cooking school at the store. So we'll have families come in and cook a meal together with our chef and myself teaching healthy eating habits. It's a way to let the family cook and eat together,” said LaRoche. The event also will give Harmons an opportunity to showcase its own store-brand products, she noted.

The program is being run in partnership with The Monday Campaigns, which dedicates the first day of every week to health. Harmons is the first supermarket to incorporate Kids Cook Mondays, a part of the nonprofit's national campaign.

Peggy Neu, who heads the The Monday Campaigns, New York, outlined the organization's goals and programs to supermarket attendees at the Food Marketing Institutes' Health & Wellness Conference earlier this year, which is where Harmons learned about the program.

“We applaud Harmons as the first supermarket to adopt Kids Cook Monday. Harmons' in-store cooking classes on Monday give families a fun, convenient way to learn to shop for healthy ingredients and use them to cook delicious dishes. The support of Harmons underscores the importance of bringing kids into the kitchen at a young age. Research shows that children are more likely to eat healthy foods if they've helped prepare them,” said Neu.