Bell peppers from the SOILS Center, spinach from the Ratto Brothers and olive oil from Sciabica. Fourteen students prepared a “veggie-forward fried rice” using these local ingredients Thursday afternoon at Christine Sipherd Elementary School.
These Empire Union School District students are part of the Junior Chef program, which launched in 2016 to inspire kids to cook fresh, nutritious meals and foster healthy eating habits alongside a love for cooking.
The program works with students from Stanislaus County, including those in Modesto City Schools and the Empire and Keyes school districts. It is sponsored by Ratto Brothers, Sciabica Olive Oil and Morning Star tomatoes, with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded to the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District…