Eating more fruits and vegetables is a critical behavior for health promotion and disease prevention. Despite the importance of eating more produce, it is also one of the most difficult eating behaviors to change. It has been reported that cooking more meals at home is related to increased fruit and vegetable consumption. 

A family-oriented program to promote healthy, home-cooked meals, Cook Together, Eat Together, was offered at the Powell County Cooperative Extension Office. Eight families participated in the program with a total of 16 youth participants ranging from ages 6-11 years old. The eight cooking socials were offered on the first Friday evening of each month, beginning in September and running through April. 

Each month, parents would receive a newsletter prior to the cooking social. It included the recipe for the upcoming session, the skills that their child would learn that month, and helpful information for meal planning and budgeting for a family. 

At the conclusions of the eight cooking socials, all participants reported incorporating more healthy foods such as whole fruits and/or brightly colored vegetables and preparing healthier home-­cooked meals. 

Parents reported their children being eager to help prepare family meals at home so they could practice the skills they learned at the cooking socials. Many reported some of the recipes they prepared through the as being new family favorites. 

Over the long term, these cooking and eating behavior changes may lead to sustainable changes in cooking and eating norms in a community. As demonstrated by Cook Together, Eat Together, social marketing is a powerful tool to promote changes for the public good.