COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital created the Mobile Education Kitchen (MEK) to bring clean and healthy eating to neighborhoods around central Ohio.
Katie McCurdy is one of two chefs creating foods that are both delicious and nutritious. She originally went to school to become a nurse and switched to culinary school when she realized one of the best ways to help people is to assist them in making better lifestyle choices. Hospital studies show that one-third of all cancers can be prevented through modified behaviors relating to diet and exercise.
“We have a lot of conversations and talk about how we can eat healthier to nourish our bodies,” said McCurdy. “Then also to nourish like the planet, too.”
The MEK resembles a big food truck, but instead of hotdogs and tacos, it brings salads made of kale and hand pies filled with spinach. The 30-foot food truck was donated by Celebration for Life — an annual fundraising event for the James Fund for Life. But education doesn’t always take place on the truck; sometimes it’s in a fourth grade classroom.
Almost all of the produce used in their demonstrations and recipes are grown in the MEK’s community gardens. They grow everything from spinach and tomatoes to fresh herbs. Program Director Jim Warner was a culinary chef for decades and said this program allows him to cook for a cause.
“A lot of the times when we go to these neighborhoods, they don’t have a grocery store,” said Warner. “They don’t have access to fresh produce.”
Learning about healthy food is just half the fun. Whether it be at one of their recipe demonstrations or in a fourth grade classroom, getting to be a part of the cooking process allows for participants to be introduced to new fruits and vegetables.
“Eating fresh foods is good for you,” said Torrin Barker, a fourth grade student at Tree of Life Elementary. “A lot of plants have a lot of nutrients.”
The Mobile Education Kitchen is funded through a collaboration between the James Cancer Hospital and the Solove Research Institute. They travel across central Ohio and are also available for private events.