Welcome to Pilot Light’s Feeding Minds blog! Here, we get to tell the story of Food Education through in-depth stories from our classrooms, partnership spotlights, new program announcements, and opinion pieces from guest authors and the Pilot Light team. Join us in exploring the power of food to connect, excite, and empower us to build a better future together.
April 9, 2018
By PilotLight
Pilot Light receives 2018 Pearson Program Excellence Award from Society of Public Health Education
Pilot Light is thrilled to announce that our flagship program, the Institute for Food Education, received the 2018 Clarence E. Pearson Program Excellence Award from the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) on April 5, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio. The Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by a program to the practice of health education, is named in honor
Read More >>March 30, 2018
By PilotLight
Chefs from Piece Pizzeria, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Lillie’s Q and Hot Doug’s talk food education
The end of March wraps up our fourth annual Piece Pizza Party for Pilot Light, where Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, along with four of our favorite partner chefs, Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp, Charlie McKenna, and Doug Sohn, have donated 10% of their sales to our food education work in Chicago Public Schools. We sat
Read More >>March 13, 2018
By PilotLight
Pilot Light Food Standards officially released, igniting food education in Chicago and beyond
by Hannah Hemperly The Pilot Light Food Education Standards, a multi-year undertaking, were officially released Monday night at avec in Chicago, IL with Pilot Light co-founding chefs Paul Kahan and Matthias Merges leading a lively discussion on the impact of the new Food Education Standards. “Food education is the vehicle that can change our
Read More >>December 24, 2017
By PilotLight
Spiced Molasses Cookies From Our Kitchen to Yours
Spiced Molasses Cookies Ingredients 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves 1½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling 1 cup (packed)
Read More >>December 18, 2017
By PilotLight
A Healthy Holiday Recipe from the Pilot Light Chefs
Sweet Potato, Collard Green, Pomegranate, and Sunflower Seed Salad Ingredients: 2 Medium sized sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces 1 Bunch Collard Greens or Curly Kale ¼ Cup Pomegranate Seeds ¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds, Toasted Canola Oil or Olive Oil Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Apple Cider Vinegar, to taste 1 Tablespoon Yogurt Method:
Read More >>December 5, 2017
By PilotLight
Old Fashioned Face-Off 2017
On December 5th, Old Forester is bringing the best Old-Fashioned spin-offs together in the Old Forester Old Fashioned Face-Off. Seven cities around the country, including Pilot Light’s hometown of Chicago, will celebrate the 84th anniversary of Repeal Day by bringing their best to the table. 14 bartenders from around Chicago will compete for awesome prizes
Read More >>August 2, 2017
By PilotLight
Peach Party
By Brenna Gordon O’Dea Peach season is upon us and boy is it SWEET. Okay, so the exact parameters of peach season are a bit hazy, or as The New York Times puts it perfectly, fuzzy. But one thing is for sure, when it comes to summer peaches, when you get a good one, you
Read More >>July 26, 2017
By PilotLight
Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: Beating the Berry Blues
By Brenna Gordon O’Dea And finally…it happens. August arrives. We are not quite there yet, but the final month of freedom is just around the corner, and we are filled with…ALL THE FEELS. Of course, we are beyond excited for back to school season to begin. We miss YOU, our stellar students, teachers, and parents during
Read More >>July 19, 2017
By PilotLight
Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: Parchment Party
By Brenna Gordon O’Dea We are back for another Waste Not Wednesday and we promise it will be as delicious as the last! Today we are taking you from A to Z, through just a few of the MANY delicious ways to liven up those lackluster veggies. We are talking about one of the easiest, tastiest ways to take
Read More >>July 14, 2017
By PilotLight
Waste Not Want Not Wednesday: Pesto Party
By Brenna O’Dea Do you have some greens sitting in your crisper that have gone from gorgeous to gross?? Don’t go throwing them away just yet! Pesto season is upon us. If you didn’t already know that, then hop on board and enjoy the ride! Now is the perfect time of year to transform those
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