The Kentucky 4-H Passport Kitchen program provided 426 young people from Kentucky the opportunity to experience the food cultures of different countries in a self-paced experience. As part of the 4-H Passport Kitchen program, young people received six country kits in the mail during a six-week window. These kits provided all the needed instructions to complete a recipe, a video explaining the recipe, one ingredient for the recipe, information about the country, and a worksheet to help them explore beyond the kit. The self-driven and on-your-own design of the program allowed young people and their families to engage in it as part of their mealtime experience. The materials in the kits also gave young people and their families the opportunity to explore cultures that are oftentimes not their own. 

The exploration of other cultures and views is a critical part of a young person's development and helps them form a prosocial orientation as well as a growth mindset. Exploring cultures different from their own helps young people understand there are many ways of doing a single thing, and while these ways are different, one is not necessarily better than the other. 100% of youth who participated reported learning about another culture. Exploring through food provided an opportunity for young people to experience this exploration using the shared experience of eating. The combination of a food-driven cultural exploration along with the ability to participate in the program as a family unit doubled impact. Young people were able to explore cultures outside their own as well as receive the benefit of regular family mealtimes. 

Research tells us that having regular meals with caring adults provides a host of benefits to the development of young people. Of the 426 young people who participated in the program, 57% reported an increase in meals eaten together as a family unit. This increase is important because studies show regular family meals foster a sense of security and togetherness and help nurture the development of young people into healthy, well-rounded adults. When family meals are frequent an increase in motivation, personal identity, and self-esteem in young people occurs. Family mealtime also helps decrease high-risk behaviors and makes young people more likely to understand, acknowledge, and follow the boundaries set by their guardians. These social benefits are also matched by the health benefits of family mealtime. Eating studies show family dinners increase the intake of fruits and vegetables; families who eat dinner together tend to eat fewer fried foods and drink less soda; and family meal frequency is linked to the intake of protein, calcium, and some vitamins.

One final outcome of the Passport Kitchen program is the increase in kitchen confidence among youth in the program. 88% of young people reported preparing meals together as a family and 79% reported an increase in confidence in the kitchen. Of the 426 young people who participated in the Passport Kitchen Program in Kentucky eight were from Meade County. One final outcome of the Passport Kitchen program is the increase in kitchen confidence among youth in the program. 88% of young people reported preparing meals together as a family and 79% reported an increase in confidence in the kitchen. Of the 426 young people who participated in the Passport Kitchen Program in Kentucky eight were from Meade County. One Meade County family shared how they have already put into action the skills they learned during their 4-H Passport Kitchen experience.  Their mother shared the following via email with the 4-H Agent, “Around Thanksgiving, my husband had a potluck at work. The theme of the potluck was, bring or make a dish from a place you visited or lived. Our children were born in Hawaii, and Hawaii is a place we called home for 14 years. What we loved most about Hawaii was the diverse food and culture. Hawaii is known as the melting pot. Our children volunteered to make the potluck meals- all on their own! They made a list, and they bought the ingredients on our list, just as Isaac would send us. Our children felt very proud to honor their roots of Hawaii by sharing these meals. They themed their potluck meals with gluing flowers you would see in Hawaii to the containers. They applied all they are learning from the passport kitchen and went the extra by sharing the English and Hawaiian words and pronunciation of the meals on little cards.”

Meade County 4-H Family, The Kile's, created this Hawaiian inspired dish for their family Thanksgiving celebration using skills learned through the 4-H Passport Kitchen at-home program.

Meade County 4-H'er, Jadon Dumont, shows off his stovetop skills while preparing a recipe for the 4-H Passport Kitchen at-home program.