For the second year, the Meade County 4-H Fresh Chefs Club was a volunteer lead, 4-week, summer program that focused on healthy food preparation, food and kitchen safety, the benefits of shopping at a local farmer’s market, and food preparation on a budget.  Each 3-hour meeting included the following agenda: 

1. Introductory Smoothie – a recipe to jump start the learning process and to encourage positive member interactions.
2. Group discussion or demonstration – Subjects included: in season produce, kitchen etiquette, food preparation safety, kitchen sanitation, and teamwork in a kitchen setting.
3. Let’s Shop – participants will visit the local farmer’s market to shop for fresh ingredients for the day’s recipes. Each week, participants received a $10 voucher (sponsored by the Meade County Farmer’s Market) to purchase ingredients to prepare the weekly recipe at home.
4. Weekly recipe preparation – participants will prepare the recipes of the week that they can then replicate at home for their families.

     The 4-H Fresh Chefs summer program utilized the National 4-H Council 4-H Fresh Chefs publication as a source for recipes as well as the University of Kentucky, Cooperative Extension Service, Nutrition Education Program website www.planeatmove.com for SNAP eligible program recipes.  The inclusion of locally grown foods, such as those from a farmer’s market, provided the freshest ingredients available for many delicious recipes throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons. Each session focused on a different, locally grown, available produce including squash; lettuce and cabbage; red, white and “blue” potatoes and tomatoes.  

     This program was a true community partnership including the 4-H Youth Development program, 4-H volunteer, and the Meade County Farmer’s Market, the 4-H Youth Development Agent created a recruitment flyer, shared registration information via 4-H newsletter and social media with the target audience of youth, ages 12-18, took registration and communicated with families on program details.  Ms. Becky, 4-H Volunteer and parent, worked with 4-H Youth Development Agent to create program plan for the 4-week summer program and was the lead instructor for the program.  The Meade County Farmer’s Market sponsored the weekly ten-dollar market tokens that the youth participants received to shop at the market to take home fresh, local produce and handmade goods and products.  

     XXX program participants, completed the four-week program.  XXX off those youth were XX years old and XXX.  

     Through discussions with the participants at each program, it was learned that almost every recipe they prepared contained at least one to two ingredients that they had never tried before OR previously refused to try.   Fortunately, by preparing the recipe themselves, each participant tried each recipe and 80% of the time stated they like the recipe.  None of the participants had a garden at home, so they enjoyed shopping at the farmer’s market each week to take home locally grown, fresh produce, herbs, and handmade items.  

Each week, participants:

1. made healthy recipes using mostly items from the farmer’s market,
2. learned and put into practice safe kitchen and food safety practices,
3. shopped at the farmer’s market on a budget of $10, 
4. learned and put into practice how to choose quality produce,
5. learned and put into practice the management of kitchen space, equipment and clean up processes,
6. tried new foods, and 
7. worked as a team to prepare recipes.