The owners of a local catering company took time out from whipping up delicious dishes to teach some Long Beach elementary students how to properly select and prepare fresh and organic foods last week, for a possible spot on the hit new television show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”
Chef Paul Buchanan and his wife, Dana, own Primal Alchemy, an upscale catering service based in Long Beach that prides itself on serving fresh foods that are in season whenever possible. Last Friday, they took a break to pass on some healthy lessons to 3rd graders at Fremont Elementary School with their “Days of Taste” event.
“I wish we could do this for every school,” Chef Buchanan said, walking the group of youngsters from the downtown farmers market to King’s Fish House with their bags of newly-purchased fresh foods.
“But with people like Jamie [Oliver] and his national audience it really gives us a chance to promote Days of Taste which has been going on since, gosh, maybe 1985.”
Buchanan took over the event a few years ago and usually hosts Days of Taste in October, but the catering company hooked up with Oliver during this year’s TED Conference in Long Beach and formed a partnership. Oliver’s show on ABC attempts to encourage healthy eating habits and has thus far been a success. A camera crew followed Buchanan and company around downtown Long Beach as the kids selected their produce and turned it into a healthy lunch salad at King’s Fish House.
Buchanan takes a lot of pride in teaching children to read labels, understand what they’re eating and how it affects their body, and seek out fresh foods. He and Days of Taste seem to be starting a revolution of their own.
“The kids are actually the ones that are educating their parents now,” he says. “We teach oru kids math, history and social sciences but we take them into the cafeteria and teach them to eat fast food. That’s why this is such an important program and I know Long Beach has been making huge strides in spreading that message.”
A student learns proper carrot-slicing technique.
Grating the cheese is a team effort.
The finished product!