Chef Michael Henville, Executive Chef and Food and Nutrition Specialist with the School Meals Programme and Mrs. Renell Daniel, School Meals Coordinator in the Department of Education at the Charlestown Primary School’s cafeteria.CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — More than 30 staff from the School Meals Programme on Nevis took part in the first of a series of training sessions hosted on March 10 by the in the Nevis Island Administration Department of Education to prepare for a new initiative in the school feeding programme held at the Charlestown Primary School’s cafeteria.
“The training is designed to prepare the cooking staff to offer a variety of international dishes in an initiative dubbed “Tour Around the World,” explained School Meals Coordinator in the Department of Education, Mrs. Renell Daniel. “The event follows “Tour Around the Caribbean,” which focussed on Caribbean dishes. It was introduced in the second school term.
“In Term III, we are going to “Tour Around the World,” she said. “We will offer different types of food combinations and stop at different countries in the world. Today we have Chef Henville training our cooks to do fish – Mahi-mahi as well as a salad with vegetables…
“He’s been working with our cooks throughout the term,” said Mrs. Daniel. “Today is no different, He will be working with our cooks, training them how to cook these meals and make them more child-friendly as well as tasty.”
Ms. Wendy Tsai, a volunteer Nutritionist from Taiwan attached to the School Meals Programme assisting participants at a training session at the Charlestown Primary School’s cafeteria.Ms. Wendy Tsai, a volunteer Nutritionist from Taiwan, attached to the School Meals Programme, will be among the trainers. She will teach participants how to prepare stir-fried beef, noodles and spring rolls when the tour “stops” in Taiwan.
Mrs. Daniel also said the upcoming training sessions will be done and commended participants for readily accepting the training.
“You will see that we have different chefs, and different restaurants come in,” she said. “We are planning an Indian summer when we stop in India, and we have other places where we will stop on our journey around the world.
“We applaud our cooks for being willing and open to the menu changes… we applaud our cooks for taking this journey with us, and joining the School Meals Programme in helping our children develop healthy lifestyles,” she said.
The School Meals Coordinator noted that the department continues to move forward with the feeding programme and is constantly reviewing meals prepared in an effort to make them better and tastier for students.
Executive Chef and Food and Nutrition Specialist with the School Meals Programme Chef Michael Henville, used the opportunity to commend participants for their interest.
“Today we are going to do a quick simple and easy pan-seared Mahi Mahi with a little bit of a citrus and butter sauce with a pumpkin salad,” said chef Henville. “I applaud all our cooks here today that are giving their time to learn these new dishes, and to try something new and to also educate the kids on these new healthy dishes that we are trying with them.
“I applaud them for moving the School Meals Programme forward in a better and newer direction,” he said.
At the end of the training sessions participants will have the opportunity to recreate the new dishes for students at the schools on every Thursday. The program will expose students to different tastes and flavours from around the world. Students will also have the opportunity to learn briefly about the country where the dish originates.
School Meals Programme cooking staff just before the start of a hands-on training session at the Charlestown Primary School’s cafeteria.
