Serious Eats
Rebuttal to Alice Waters Takedown from a Volunteer at Edible Schoolyard
[Photograph: Edible Schoolyard]
Sarah Henry is a Berkeley, California–based freelance writer who also volunteers once a week at Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard project. She's got a unique take on that Atlantic–Caitlin Flanagan hatchet job that caused a stir last week.
Clearly Caitlin hasn't spent much, if any, time in the Edible kitchen, run by head chef teacher Esther Cook since its beginnings 14 years ago.
But I have. And I've seen a lot of wonderful things take place in that cooking classroom, not least of which is the making of fabulous, school-grown, organic feasts.
Here's what I've witnessed:
- Kids from diverse backgrounds working together to cook food.
- Middle schoolers who might not excel in conventional classes discovering other talents such as knife skills or cooking chops.
- Teenagers discussing everyday events, controversial topics, or answering a thought-provoking question over a shared meal.
- Students absorbing a healthy dose of curriculum along with healthy food. A whole lot of love. As a cynical reporter, I don't type those words lightly.
Related: Alice Waters-Edible Schoolyard Takedown in the Atlantic: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong »
