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'Tastewise Kids' Brings In 'Clavel' Chef To Make Salads Fun For Kids, Promote Healthy Eating

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Learning about food, where it comes from and how to make healthy choices can be as important in education as reading or writing.

That's the theory behind, "Tastewise Kids," at Patterson Park Public Charter School on Wednesday, and the program had fourth graders building a salad with one of Baltimore's premier chefs.

"Can somebody tell me what we have in front of you...olive oil," said Carlos Raba, "Clavel" chef. He is the chef and the owner of the Baltimore restaurant.

"We have cilantro, what else we have?" Raba asked.

He volunteered with "Tastewise Kids" on Wednesday to help fourth graders build a healthy salad with a whisked lime juice/olive oil and cilantro dressing.

"Guys, remember, salt can ruin your food," He said. "Salt has a strong taste,"

The first time they met with Carlos, they learned about taste.

"The kids work with a chef, they learn sweet, sour, salt, bitter, they go to a farm and learn where food starts off and then they make a salad and bring it all together," said Riva Eichner Kahn of Tastwise Kids.

"Tastewise Kids" has been teaching Baltimore children about food for 20 years. The hope is, they'll turn a lesson into a lifestyle.

"We've had families come up to us and say you've changed the way my kids eat. The way I've eaten," said Wendy Jeffries of Tastewise Kids.

"Why did I leave the skin on the cucumber? Why?" Rabas said.

The answer- it adds bitterness. Pre-measured ingredients also include tomato, corn and black beans.

"The black beans are going to give you another...texture," Rabas said.

"I'm doing something I love and show them in a healthy way they can incorporate healthily," Rabas said.

Smashed Doritos top the salad, it's tossed and tasted. The verdict?

"It was good. I don't think the Doritos were needed, though," one student said.

"The salad, the salad kinda made me want to throw up," another student said.

"Some of them were more bitter than others, some were more salty than others. Remember when you cook, it's your plate and you do it how you like it, okay," Rabas said.

For more information on Tastewise Kids you can click here.

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