About Chef Cindy

Mother:

Raising 8 children is no joke! The best part is all the grandchildren that allow her to see the world new again. As with most people, she learned everything she needs to know about life in her home kitchen and around the table.

Entrepreneur:

In 1981 she began Sunrise Bistro and Catering in Walnut Creek California. It started with her grandmother's pastries and morning coffee for hungry people on their way to work.

After gaining (and then losing) 100 pounds, she realized that sugary and processed foods (even homemade ones) were no good for her, her family, or the community.

Driven by inspiration and a desire to help the next generation, she began adding more and more fresh, alive, and vibrant foods to her menu... and you know what? People LOVED it!

Teacher:

After meeting Dr. Robert Lustig in 2008, her whole life changed. He has the science and she has the culinary skills to change the health of the next generation.

They decided school was the best place to give young people confidence, education, and skills for a long healthy life.

Cooking with kids

It's all about the kids - feeding their bodies and minds with Powerfully Nutritious Foods!

The intimate relationship of how our food is grown, processed, and consumed is the base for all cultures in the world, and sharing a meal is the most important connection within and between generations. However, over the years of our lifetime, food growth and processing has become disconnected from our lives. School gardens and teachers working together in communities can reconnect those actions and ideas, saving both our children's health, and rebalancing the health of the planet. Let's work together and make it fun AND healing.

To highlight the wonderful projects across our school district teaching each other, we have shared best practices, with the goal of moving the youth of our community to better eating habits and healthier bodies, with the understanding that we need clean water, healthy soil, and clean air to thrive.

Farm To Taste is a 1 hour LIVE (when the internet is working) community cooking show.

We believe in "Change the FOOD, Change the FUTURE"

We all have personal responsibility when it comes to food and nutrition. However, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, "without nutrition education, culinary skills, and accessibility to fresh food, a person cannot be held responsible for bad health."

The focus of the show is to take the curriculum we created in Mt. Diablo High School's Sustainable Hospitality pathway along with the knowledge and experience students taught us about enhancing their palates by research, cooking, and tasting healthy and nutritious foods.

Students, healthy meals, nutritious meals, cooking, balanced meals, nutrition and foods, eating

Feeding student athletes healthy food helped their game (and brain)

Physical fitness starts and ends with your fork. These student athletes always get a balanced and delicious meal before games.

Final Presentation - Cook a balanced nutrition meal

Our students had to create a restaurant idea, invite 2 guests, plan, cook, and serve a delicious and nutritious meal. They never disappoint.