The problem

Harrison County, Kentucky established Recipes for Life (RFL) in 2008. Homemakers from the community wanted to teach and mentor young people with a skill set that would help them later in life. Youth obesity has increased over the last 25 years with diet quality indicators including low fruit and vegetable intake (CDC). Seeing the need for cooking skills and nutrition knowledge, RFL was established as a hands-on, interactive opportunity for fifth grade students to practice cooking techniques while learning about nutrition and trying new things. Over the years, volunteer homemakers have increased in age and decreased in stamina for carrying out the extensive project that occurs for all Harrison County fifth graders annually. Recently, Harrison County High School adopted a culinary track giving high school students the opportunity to take cooking and advanced cooking classes that extended outside of the classroom. The growth of that high school program now encompasses over 70 enrolled students. Thus, a collaboration with utilizing the high school culinary students to mentor fifth grade students during RFL was formed two years ago.   

The educational program response

           Recipes for Life is now a University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program supported curriculum that has been replicated and implemented across the state. Teaching fifth graders the skills needed to prepare a healthy meal, this unique RFL setting allows high school students to share their learned knowledge through mentorship and leadership.  

While RFL has existed for numerous years now, it has recently expanded to an exceptional collaboration in Harrison County, Kentucky with two years of involvement with the high school culinary students and teacher. The Family & Consumer Sciences agent met with the High School Culinary teacher to develop an agenda for training culinary students. This “train the trainer” concept was applied where 60-70 high school students were prepped with RFL content and overview, expectations, leadership concepts, and recipe preparation. The Principles of Teaching high school students were incorporated most recently. New to 2023’s Recipes for Life, was the implementation of workstations which reinforced skills for fifth grade students, including hand washing, knife cutting, measuring, MyPlate, etc., that accompanies cooking. Since some recipes used with RFL require different techniques, some students miss out on specific skills not needed with their group recipe. The workstations ensured that all fifth graders learn the same concepts. These workshop stations were taught by the high school Principles of Teaching students giving cooking groups more activities to participate in while waiting to begin, in-between steps, or waiting for food to finish in the oven.  

RFL brought in all county fifth graders on a single day for a two and a half hour cooking session. Twenty tables were stationed around the room with 10 different recipes being prepared (two tables per recipe). Two or three high school culinary students serve as group leaders for their table, overseeing fifth graders as they prepare the recipe. There was a morning (9-11:30am) and an afternoon (12-2:30pm) rotation of schools where nearly 120 fifth grade students attend each session. 

The participants/target audience

           Participants include fifth grade students, high school culinary students, high school principles of teaching students, FBLA high school officers.

Other partners (if applicable)

1. Family Resource Center for transportation funding
2. Elementary Principals for scheduling dates
3. Fifth grade teachers for evaluation distribution
4. High School Culinary teacher and students for training and teaching fifth graders
5. High School Principles of Teaching students for overseeing workstations
6. High School FBLA officers for teen volunteers during RFL
7. Homemaker adult volunteers for assisting as needed through RFL

Program impact or participant response.

               Recipes for Life in Harrison County, KY impacts nearly 240 fifth grade students with hands-on experience for learned skills and knowledge each year. This past year, nearly 70 additional high school culinary, Principles of Teaching, and FBLA officer students were given leadership roles through mentoring and educator scenarios. Over 20 teachers, school administrators, Extension staff, and Family Resource Center personnel assisted with the 2023 Recipes for Life.  

Surveys are given to each of the fifth-grade students following RFL to capture gained knowledge. After participating in RFL, 84 percent of students indicated they plan to eat more fruits while 69 percent said they plan to eat more vegetables. Eighty-six percent of students said they plan to try new foods while surveys revealed 90 percent of participants plan to help prepare food at home. Eighty-eight percent of participants said it was easy or very easy to follow recipe directions. 

Other survey questions asked about gained knowledge. After completing the program, 76 percent of participants could correctly identify a liquid measuring cup, 85 percent were able to identify correct knife cutting skills, 80 percent of participants correctly identified the proper and safe way to open a lid from a boiling pot of water, and 85 percent said to clean kitchen surfaces with warm soapy water. Additionally, 88 percent of students correctly identified 20 seconds as the recommended amount of time to thoroughly wash hands.  

Every year, the schools reach out about Recipes for Life dates to include as an annual field trip for the incoming fifth graders to experience. With this longstanding event recurring year after year, the incorporation of culinary students brings back past participants of RFL. Having completed the program as fifth graders themselves, RFL incorporates a new skillset of leadership and servitude for the culinary students who return as teen volunteers through mentorship and educator roles.