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Food Education Center

  • Welcome to The Jungle: Publican Quality Meat’s Rob Levitt Delights Students with a Live Butcher Lesson

    Welcome to The Jungle: Publican Quality Meat’s Rob Levitt Delights Students with a Live Butcher Lesson

    Students at Dewey Elementary School, which is on the border of the neighborhoods of New City, Englewood, and Back of the Yards in Chicago, were in for quite a spectacle this past week, as Rob Levitt, head butcher for Publican Quality Meats prepared a special demonstration for the classroom – the butchering of a full pig.

    The students at Dewey are currently reading Upton Sinclair’s fictional story “The Jungle”, a novel originally published in 1905 that exposed the harsh and unsanitary working conditions in the meat-packing industry in Chicago. 

    Rob Levitt provided students with a live lesson of how to properly butcher a pig, including the role of the butcher as a craft and ways of honoring animals and utilizing all parts to create delicious foods. Students were able to see and smell the fresh pig and listened as Rob discussed the methods and sanitary practices.

    “This butcher put on quite a show!  It was the most entertaining thing I have ever seen.  I can’t wait to brag to my mom about what I have seen today.”

    The public response to Sinclair’s novel led to federal laws helping regulate the meat industry, including the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established procedures for federal inspection of meat processing plants. A Sinclair famously said about his novel, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”

    Students were equally impressed and inspired by Rob’s demonstration, and expressed their delight with the lesson.

    “He has made me feel inspired.  I would want to be able to teach kids those things too.  I would love to see a cow get cut up like that.”

    Special thanks to Rob Levitt and Publican Quality Meats for providing the pig and the lesson demonstration.

     

    PilotLight

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  • Harris Policy Labs and Pilot Light: Building a Coalition of Support for Food Education

    Harris Policy Labs and Pilot Light: Building a Coalition of Support for Food Education

    In 2018,Pilot Light released the nation’s first-ever Food Education Standards, a set of recommendations for food education for K-12 students. The Food Education Standards were developed in collaboration with Pilot Light co-founders and notable Chicago chefs Paul Kahan, Matthias Merges and Jason Hammel, as well as nutrition and education experts and faculty from the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a teacher development team comprising Chicago Public Schools faculty.

    As a partner of the Community Programs Accelerator at the University of Chicago, Pilot Light connected with the Harris School of Public Policy’s Harris Policy Labs to explore new ways to further the adoption of the Food Education Standards. Pilot Light proposed working with Harris students on a strategy for getting the Food Education Standards curriculum into schools at the policy level.

    “We presented to Harris, saying we really need an advocacy plan for Pilot Light,” said Alex DeSorbo-Quinn, Pilot Light executive director. “They came back to us, and we were very fortunate that Harris Policy Labs took this on as a project.”

    University of Chicago assigned four grad students to work on developing a policy recommendation for Pilot Light. The graduate students accessed the Food Education Standards and curriculum, examined the food education environment in Illinois, and referenced other education policies. With their analysis, the team developed recommendations, a list of legislators and policy makers for next steps.

    Pilot Light has taken the recommendations and connected back with UChicago’s Community Programs Accelerator. “We’re especially excited to work with our partners to come together, build a coalition, and pursue this goal of making food education a field of education that is desired by teachers, schools, parents and students,” said DeSorbo-Quinn.

    To read the full article on Pilot Light and the Harris School of Public Policy’s Harris Policy Lab collaboration, click here.

    To read the Food Education Standards, click here. 

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  • Pilot Light Partners with the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation to Bring Food Education to Summer Camp

    Pilot Light Partners with the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation to Bring Food Education to Summer Camp

    What do professional hockey leagues and Pilot Light have in common? We all have to eat, right! Pilot Light was excited to provide produce-focused lessons this summer. More than 800 kids from across Chicago participated in Healthy Hawks camp run by the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation in collaboration with Pilot Light. Students created snacks using an assortment of summer vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes. 

    Students created their own trail mix using twenty-two unique, healthy ingredients including crystallized ginger, seaweed, dried mango, and pumpkin seeds. Before the students made their own creations, they each had to guess the ingredients. Students tried new foods, like buckwheat, learned how their food choices fuel their bodies for the demands of exercise, and made connections to their own daily decision-making. After making the mix, students filled out a worksheet with their recipes and explained why they chose each ingredient. Everyone ended up with a healthy snack and tried something new.

    Thank you to the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation and to fourth grade teacher, Beverly Nunn, for making this wonderful experience possible!

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  • Student Activism in Action: Former Governor Pat Quinn joins Ray Elementary School to Support Student Polystyrene Ban Petition

    Student Activism in Action: Former Governor Pat Quinn joins Ray Elementary School to Support Student Polystyrene Ban Petition

    Last month students from Ray Elementary School, along with former Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn, made history when they took a trip to the Chicago City Hall to present their ordinance to ban polystyrene use in Chicago restaurants.

    As part of their Pilot Light Food Advocacy Project, 6th grade science teacher Vicki Drewa and her students worked throughout the 2018-2019 school year to develop a petition and wrote letters to gain support for their proposed ban on the use of polystyrene, a plastic that is widely used in restaurants as packaging materials such as containers, lids, trays, and disposable silverware. 

    This year-long Food Advocacy Project with Pilot Light addresses several Food Education Standards. There are negative health and environmental impacts associated with Styrofoam use. Polystyrene is non-recyclable and slow to biodegrade, contributing to the build-up of litter in the environment, and it’s been linked to cancer.  In addition, through this process students are learning how to advocate and making informed decisions about the packaging of the food they eat.

    Following-up on the student’s letters, former Governor Pat Quinn met with students at Ray Elementary School to deliver words of encouragement and activism. “Now is the time for grassroots pressure,” said former Governor Quinn. “This is what democracy is all about. Abraham Lincoln said government by the people, for the people. You are the people!”

    The following week – during their summer vacation, no less – students and teachers signed their petition and filed the ordinance with the City Clerk on June 25, marking the first time in the history of Chicago that a group of 6th graders presented an ordinance. “You are making history!” exclaimed former Governor Quinn.

    Pat Quinn and students met with media outlets, ABC, Univision and WBBM Newsradio, to convey the goal of the ordinance (read the coverage here). Students also met with Alderman Daniel LaSpata to convey the petition. 

    On July 24th, the students returned to City Hall to hear their ordinance assigned to the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, and met with Committee Chair Alderman George Cardenas to discuss next steps.  It is expected that the ban will be presented in September.  

    We encourage you to call your neighborhood Alderman and express your support of the polystyrene ban on single-use containers in Chicago.

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  • A Pretty Cool Ice Cream Experience

    A Pretty Cool Ice Cream Experience

    Last month Pilot Light teamed up with Pretty Cool ice cream shop to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to the students at Disney II Magnet School.

    Students worked together to brainstorm unique pop flavors and ingredients. The students voted on their favorites, and the top two winners were created and sold in Pretty Cool’s Logan Square shop this May. Sprinkles of the Sky, a bubblegum ice cream with blue shell and rainbow sprinkles and The Ultra Flavor, a pop, Cherry and lemonade pop were sold in store, with fifty cents from every pop sold going to support Pilot Light.

    But this pretty cool collaboration didn’t stop there! The Pretty Cool team took a trip to Disney II Magnet School to deliver a lesson on the senses – and on not letting your sight deceive you. Students participated in a blind taste test, before learning how to build flavors in ice cream using lemon, orange, vanilla and banana extracts. Students were then treated to their winning pops.

    A big thank you to Dana and the Pretty Cool Ice Cream team!  

     

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  • Pilot Light’s Memo to the Mayor

    Pilot Light’s Memo to the Mayor

    Last month, Pilot Light hosted our On the Table community dinner, as part of The Chicago Community Trust’s On The Table initiative. This year’s goal was to create a Memo to the Mayor – a real and tangible way to share our ideas about important issues with Chicago’s new mayor Lori Lightfoot and her administration.

    On May 22, Pilot Light brought together our community partners, teachers and school leaders  to Washburne Culinary Institute to prepare a meal together and join in on the conversation. Pilot Light Culinary Director Justin Behlke led our guests  in a hands-on cooking experience where participants combined carrots, cucumber, rice and avocado to create their own sushi rolls.

    Following the cooking experience, everyone gathered around the table to enjoy their meal and craft their Memo to the Mayor. The group discussed the ongoing disinvestment in urban communities and brainstormed sustainable solutions for community development with the goal of food equity.

    The Chicago Community Trust  will collect thousands of memos from the many On the Table conversations that were held throughout the Chicagoland area. Each memo collected will be documented and used to inform a single, compilation memo to the Mayor, to be shared with the Mayor and the summary information will be posted on the On the Table site.

     

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  • Extending the Love: Student-led Love Lunches and More Advocacy Project at Claremont Academy Returns

    Extending the Love: Student-led Love Lunches and More Advocacy Project at Claremont Academy Returns

    In January 2019 Pilot Light was a recipient of the Chicago Housing Consulting Services grant and over the past two weeks the grant was put into action as Pilot Light and Claremont Academy extended its Love Lunches and More  Advocacy Project.

    The $5000 grant extended the student-envisioned Love Lunches Advocacy Project to support homeless families in the West Englewood area. 100 3rd and 4th-grade students, along with Pilot Light teachers, Ms. Gaud, Ms. Fortenberry, Ms. Shaw, and Ms. Nunn, worked in groups to assemble 500 Love Lunches. Each lunch bag included a turkey sandwich, water, chips, cookies, carrots, hand sanitizer, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste. To make each package special, a group of students designed and decorated each bag and dropped in a handwritten encouraging note.  

    The students packed the lunches and delivered them to neighborhood churches and food pantries, including Bread of Life, where the lunches were distributed during a planned event to the community. 

    Special thanks to The Chicago Housing Consulting Services for funding Claremont Academy’s Love Lunches and More Advocacy Project this school year. The Chicago Housing Consulting Services launched this funding initiative to support nonprofits who focus on child and youth development, education and community beautification.

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  • Pilot Light and the Chan Zuckerburg Initiative – Building a Future for Everyone  

    Pilot Light and the Chan Zuckerburg Initiative – Building a Future for Everyone  

    We are excited to announce that, with the support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), Pilot Light is conducting meetings and site visits with FoodCorps to explore the intersection of our work and how we can partner to strengthen the nationwide food education movement. We are also collaborating with researchers to explore positive relationships between integrated classroom-based food education and student development within the domains of comprehensive student development. This work is supported by two Comprehensive Student Development (CSD) Collaboration Grants from CZI bringing together groups of researchers and practitioners to advance work to meet students’ unique learning and developmental needs.

    This past December, Pilot Light co-founder and Board President Matthias Merges attended the CZI’s Convening on Comprehensive Student Development on behalf of Pilot Light.  The Convening included organizations and individuals across the country doing work to support the whole child and the six domains of comprehensive student development, including academic, social-emotional, identity development, cognitive, and physical and mental health.  

    We were grateful to be included in the event and thank CZI for honoring Pilot Light with these CSD grants. We look forward to developing concrete plans for collaboration.

     

    Founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, CZI’s mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. In Education, CZI aims to ensure every young person enters adulthood with the skills and abilities they need to reach their full potential – and to equip every teacher with the tools and evidence-based principles and practices they need to help get them there.  www.chanzuckerberg.com/education

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  • Envisioning a Food Educated Chicago

    Envisioning a Food Educated Chicago

    Last month, Pilot Light welcomed representatives from partner organizations to The Future of Food Education, a breakfast designed to foster conversations and visioning around a food educated Chicago. Hosted at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center and in partnership with its Community Programs Accelerator, guests from more than 20 organizations participated, including Growing Home, Common Threads, Purple Asparagus, Green City Market, Chicago Public Schools, CLOCC, Gardeneers, IAPHERD, Communities in Schools, Plant Chicago, Seven Generations Ahead, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Feeding America and more!  

    The breakfast began with everyone sharing their work and physically “linking” over commonalities. Guests were then introduced and updated on the Food Education Standards, which Pilot Light developed to define Food Education and support its implementation Food Education in school classrooms.

    Following the introduction of the Food Education Standards, guests broke out into smaller groups to work together on a visioning exercise. Partners collaborated to develop their vision of what a food-educated Chicago would look like. Taking poster boards and markers, guests colored vibrant images of Chicago. Looking ahead, we’re working with an illustrator to create a visual depiction of our collective vision for the “future of food education” that we will share publicly.  

    The inspiring event is an early step, but an important one, in making food education a priority in our school classrooms and communities. Pilot Light looks forward to continuing our work with this collective of mission-aligned organizations and individuals committed to a food-educated Chicago.

    The morning wrapped up with concrete commitments from the Pilot Light team for how we will continue to engage community members going forward to ensure that our work is actionable. Serving as a kickoff for a coalition that will support Pilot Light’s policy work, we’re planning to engage organizations in the Harris Policy Labs effort in the near future.

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  • Growing our Partnership with the University of Chicago

    Growing our Partnership with the University of Chicago

     

    Pilot Light’s partnership with the University of Chicago continues to grow! With thanks to Advisory Board members Dr. Deb Burnet and Dr. Mike Quinn, we are the proud recipients of a grant from the Institution for Translational Medicine at the University of Chicago. Through the $60,000 grant ($18,250 of which will directly support Pilot Light), two Pilot Light high schools on the south side of Chicago will use their Food Advocacy projects to create Food Education & Advocacy Videos, focused on raising awareness around food issues they identified in their local community.

    Across the five classrooms, at least 140 students will be involved in the development of the video’s goals, content and script. Three students from each class (15 students total) will be supported by their teachers and will develop the content of the videos including determining locations, the information presented, and individuals who appear in the video. Our third partner in the project, Free Spirit Media, will film and produce the videos, and collaborate with the students and teachers to facilitate a pre-production session where students can learn more about the video production process, exposing them to careers in the film and media industry. 

    We were also delighted to learn this month that we have been accepted to the 2019 cohort of the University of Chicago’s Community Programs Accelerator! The Community Programs Accelerator at the University of Chicago aims to support the success of nonprofits whose work benefits neighborhoods in the Mid-South Side. Through partnerships with industry practitioners and connections to University resources, this initiative provides technical assistance to help develop and strengthen community-based organizations. It also fosters connections between these organizations, promoting a strong network of nonprofits in the mid-South Side.

    The Accelerator supports Pilot Light in all aspects of growth and in the coming year, we have outlined a few key projects including the development of a Theory of Change and a breakfast for our Chicago-based partners in Food Education. 

    “Thriving neighborhoods have something in common no matter where they’re located: strong community-based organizations that have the resources and the ability to execute on the vision they have for their communities,” said Ryan K. Priester, director of community programs for the Office of Civic Engagement. “The Accelerator meets nonprofits where they are to strengthen their capacity and put them on a sustainable path to execution — and our new partnerships with SSA and UChicago Medicine will enable us to offer training and support to even more organizations serving the South Side.”

    Launched by the UChicago Office of Civic Engagement, the Accelerator has grown into a University-wide collaboration that includes UChicago Arts, the Harris School of Public Policy, UChicago Medicine — now partnering with the Accelerator to build the capacity of South Side nonprofits working to prevent violence  — and the School of Social Service Administration (SSA), home to a new Certificate in Nonprofit Management program for early- to mid-stage nonprofit professionals working in or focused on the South Side.  Learn more about the University of Chicago’s Community Programs Accelerator.

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