Speakeasy: FLOTUS shares Fall Harvest fun

“I think it just makes it more real. Kids are normally adverse to vegetables – the bitter taste, the funny colors, the crunchiness of it – but if they have a hand in planting and they see their work come to fruition .. they just connect with it a bit more … Our ultimate hope is that when kids participate in the growth of food they’ll be more interested in using that food, and being more likely to try some new things … And then that way you can slip in a little education … and they take pride and ownership in it.”

First lady Michelle Obama, talking with NBC’s Nate Berkus about her healthy eating initiatives and the fruits (and vegetables) of everyone’s labor at the White House garden during their Fall Harvest on Oct. 5, where she and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford gathered with local elementary school children to pick eggplants, sweet potatoes, red peppers, basil and fresh tomatoes to make grilled garden pizza. Berkus also talked with Michelle about the new Chefs Move to Schools initiative, a USDA program where chefs partner with schools to prepare healthier meals for students. “The chefs in this country have stepped up in major ways and many of them — I’m proud to say — have found it as a pathway to healthier living for themselves as well,” she said.

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