The CDC reported in 2019 that only 10% of Americans consume the recommended quantity of vegetables daily. Fayette County FCS talked with several community members about this concern and found that many people simply did not know how to cook vegetables in a way that they and their family would like. Thus, we determined that learning to cook vegetables in a healthy and tasty manner was an important educational component that the community was missing. 

The program "All About Veggies" was thus developed. This program is a 6 class series, focusing on a different vegetable or a certain style of cooking during each class. The topics for the first iteration of this program include: Growing and Cooking Garlic, Growing and Cooking Greens, Roasting, Sautéing, Utilizing Winter Vegetables, and Flavoring and Pairing Vegetables for a Meal. The first two classes occurred in late summer/early fall; thus, we were able to partner with Fayette County Horticulture to include an educational portion on how to grow garlic and greens. 

Each class builds upon skills learned in the previous class, including both cooking skills and technical kitchen skills (knife skills, food safety, etc.) in hopes that by the end of the program, participants will have developed well rounded and useful skills in the kitchen. We partnered with former KDA chef Judy Gurnee to come up with unique and delicious recipes using produce sourced locally. We include foods that are common in the county and state area, as well as affordable and able to be grown by class participants. By the end of the program, each participant leaves the class with a catalogue of vegetable recipes from the Chef, as well as resources from UK Cooperative Extension on food safety and healthy cooking considerations. We also included several Plan, Eat, Move and PlateItUp! recipes to further connect the community members to UK Extension resources. 

Pre and post class surveys were collected after each class. 100% of participants reported that they gained useful, hands-on experience from the program and that they would participate in a similar program in the future. All participants reported that they felt comfortable teaching the information they learned to friends and family, as well as planning to use this information in further cooking endeavors. Class members enjoyed each recipe led by the chef and reported that they would like to continue learning from this program.