The problem   During the Holiday Season, cooking nutrition and food storage is especially important since many of our holiday gatherings include food.  

The educational program response FCS agents in the Wilderness Trail Area organized a Holiday Cooking school.  The event focused on educating participants in Food Safety, featuring instruction from the UK Food Safety and Preservations specialist, AnnHall Norris.  An additional presentation was offered by Stuarto's Ove Olive Company. The food demonstration also featured food from KY sourced local farms and the "Savor the Flavor" curriculum.

The participants/target audience The cooking school drew attendees from the 8 counties of Wilderness Trail.  Total participants were 169 and 29 hosting vendors.

Other partners (if applicable) Each county provided a table with food samples.  Several other organizations also provided holiday tables for participants to see.

Program impact or participant response. Post event evaluations revealed the 100% of participants learned sage leftover food storage practices and expressed a commitment to implementing food safety practices during cooking and in food storage.  70% of participants reported an enhanced understanding of incorporating common spices into their cooking, blending them together and integrating them into their food preparation.  68% stated that their comprehension expanded on different types of herbs, ways to incorporate them into their cooking, common pairings in their dishes.  97% of evaluated participants indicated that they would more readily use herbs and spies as a result of the "Savor the Flavor" curriculum.