Learning to cook is about health and empowerment and nourishing our bodies, but it's also about service to others, especially our loved ones. It was amazing to honor that this week as we hosted our first ever Family Gratitude Breakfast to showcase our culinary skills and bring student chefs and their families together for a meal.
On Thursday afternoon, we welcomed the mobile product team from Salesforce into the kitchen classroom to help us prepare for the big event. The kids really enjoyed making (tall) new friends and showing them the ropes as we sliced strawberries and stone fruit and peeled mandarins for a fruit salad.
Before cooking together, we went around the circle and shared our name, something we are grateful for, and something we like about being a student at Harvey Milk or working at Salesforce.
We are so grateful for our friends at Bi-Rite Market and the first peaches of the season!
Each adult chef then led a team of students in making a batch of our now-famous multigrain overnight waffles from Belgium. The Salesforce team set the tables in the cafeteria and stayed to wash all the dirty dishes. I must give a special shoutout to my friend Sheena Lee for reaching out with an offer to volunteer before The Breakfast Project was even officially up and running. It is wonderful to now call her and her coworkers a part of our Harvey Milk family. Thank you so much to everyone for their hard work and generosity!
Our friends from Salesforce were each quite certain that their particular overnight waffle batter was the best. Notice the name tag.
Friday morning we were back in the kitchen earlier than usual making sure we were ready for our special guests, who started to arrive at 8:00 a.m. I loved how on it all the kids were, washing their hands and grabbing aprons without being prompted, and how selflessly they served others food before serving themselves. We were joined by The Breakfast Project board member Arden Bucklin-Sporer, who cranked out waffles (and wisecracks) like a pro. We welcomed many familiar faces and got to make many new friends.
An hour later, when it was over, we barely had any food left, though one lucky student got to lick the whipped cream bowl. Ms. Grace and I took a breath and couldn't stop smiling - it was such a lovely event. We can't wait to do it again next year!
The finished fruit salad was beautiful to behold, with lemon balm from the HMCRA garden.
Front of the house!
Waffle making is serious business.
One of our core values at The Breakfast Project: Food is community. Breaking bread with our neighbors strengthens bonds within our school and becomes a force for good in the wider world.