Students all over the state are celebrating Florida School Breakfast Week, in which kids are encouraged to start their day with healthy chow.
According to the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C., children who eat a complete breakfast make fewer mistakes and work
faster in math and number-checking tests. Kids who eat breakfast also show improved cognitive function, attention, and memory.
Susan Rothstein at the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Department of Food and Nutrition wants all children to be able to enjoy a healthful breakfast. "We have a universal free breakfast program. Every child can have breakfast for free."
To introduce kids to breakfast and healthy eating, Rothstein has enlisted the help of some of Miami's best chefs.
On
Wednesday, September 19, several chefs will visit Miami-Dade public
schools to talk to students over breakfast. The chefs' task will be to
see how students feel about breakfast, what they would like to eat to
start the day, and to get kids excited about eating nutritious foods.
The chefs will then submit breakfast recipes to Miami-Dade for possible
inclusion into the school districts' food programs.
Rothstein
said the chefs were eager to participate, even at the last minute.
"Many of these chefs have been working with our students for many years.
Some chefs have children that attend Miami-Dade public schools. But
what's really notable is that all of these chefs are really concerned
about helping kids eat a nutritious breakfast."
The participating chefs and the schools they'll visit are as follows:
Michelle Bernstein (Michy's and Crumb on Parchment)
North Miami Senior High, 13110 NE Eighth Ave., North Miami
Doug Rodriguez (De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean)
David Lawrence Jr. K-8, 15000 Bay Vista Blvd., North Miami
Richard Ingraham (Personal Chef)
Miami Northwestern Senior, 1100 NW 71st St., Miami
Kris Wessel (Red Light Little River)
Ada Merritt K-8 Center, 660 SW Third St., Miami
Julie Frans (Essensia at the Palms Hotel)
North Beach Elementary, 4100 Prairie Ave., Miami Beach
Lorena Garcia (Lorena Garcia Cocina)
Biscayne Elementary, 800 77th St., Miami Beach
Bradley Herron (Michael's Genuine Food & Drink)
Phillis Wheatley Elementary, 1801 NW First Place, Miami
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