Letting people know about programs is a crucial step. The Instructor’s Guide includes a fill-able PDF that can be used to promote classes. The format and design of the flyer looks almost identical to the class packet cover sheet, so it provides a visual continuity for the participant and makes the project look more “put together”. We have used other flyers as well: one with pictures from past classes to help people visualize what the class is, and one basic “no-frills” that has just text that looks clean and simple in black and white.
Audience focus
An important aspect of the mobile cooking school is meeting the needs of the targeted audience. This time last year, we had a series scheduled on Fridays at a local community center. After visiting with the participants and asking what kinds of foods they’d like to try, one participant mentioned that her family was observing Lent. So, not only would she like to have Lent-friendly options while in class, she would like to have new ideas to feed her family on Fridays. The next two classes included the very popular Salmon Cakes and Ginger Mayonnaise and Skillet Gnocchi with White Beans and Swiss Chard. Everyone was happy with the choices, both those observing Lent and those who just enjoy food.
S t r e t c h i n g . . .
Last week we presented a cooking class that allowed us to stretch a bit in our ideas of the mobile cooking school concept. A couple of months ago a teacher asked if we could do a one-time cooking class for a parent engagement group of pre-k students.
Teacher: not sure how many will be there, but I heard your cooking school is great and would be a good fit for us
Me: yes! That would be awesome. We’d love to! Just let me know when you have better idea of how many to expect
Week of the presentation:
Teacher: Ok, so it looks like we’ll have about 75 people
Me: Yikes! I don’t think we can do our hands-on cooking classes like we usually do because we only have 4 cooking stations that serve 4-6 people….but we’ll come up with something!
Solution: No-cook Kits!
We made “kits” for no-cook recipes with pre-cut items the participants could quickly put together and feed about 8 people with each kit. One kit was for a Chinese Chicken Salad. The “kit” had each of the ingredients pre-cut and pre-measured in separate bags or containers all inside of a gallon size bag that could be used to mix the salad and then pour into bowls to serve. Even the bowls and forks were in “kits” that were easy to place at each table/station. The other kit had ingredients for Yogurt Parfait, with a container of yogurt, cut frozen fruit in snack size baggies, and 2 oz cups with lids of granola. Another “kit” had small clear cups and plastic spoons to use for assembling the parfait.
This method created a lot of waste with the bags, but it was easy to present and everyone got to participate. Also, the menu was a good “MyPlate” representation with all of the food groups and the food itself was yummy!
This was a little different than the fully hands-on cook a meal with skillets method we usually do, but nonetheless….Success!
In the news…
A nice article appeared in the Conroe Courier today (February 19, 2017) Check it out: http://www.yourconroenews.com/events/article/Local-agent-helps-develop-guide-for-Mobile-10941784.php
Results!
Anytime you spend a lot of time in a project, you want to know that it is worthwhile. It’s always great when people tell you how much they enjoyed a class, but it’s even better to have statistics to tell you that the classes are making an impact. Of course, surveys and statistics, particularly in an uncontrolled informal education environment, can have validity issues. People responding to surveys often tell you want they think you want to hear, because they like you, or just want to be polite. Nonetheless, utilizing some type of evaluation to measure impact is important.
In our initial request for funding to develop the mobile cooking school, we knew we wanted to affect behavior by equipping people with skills and attitudes related to food preparation confidence and healthy choices.
As a starting point to request funding, before we had an evaluation instrument or even a curriculum design, we outlined the following objectives:
- After the completion of the 3 lesson series, 80% of participants will demonstrate increased ability to make healthy food choices
- After the completion of the series, 80% of participants will report increased confidence in cooking skills necessary to prepare healthy meals
- After completion of the series, 50% of participants will report an increased intake of weekly vegetables and fruits
- After attending at least one lesson, 80% of participants will report a better understanding of the MyPlate concepts
- After attending at least one lesson, 50% of participants will demonstrate a new food preparation skill that promotes good health
After the funding was granted and the curriculum design was envisioned, work on an evaluation instrument began. We were unable to find exiting instruments that would measure what we had in mind, so customized Pre and Post surveys were developed using examples from the Journal of Food Protection, Vol.67, No. 11, 2004, and the Journal of Nutrition Education and behavior, Vo. 43, No. 6, 2011.
In retrospect, as great as the objectives sounded in theory, we realize the wording of the outcomes doesn’t fit well within the constructs of the survey design. Having 80% of participants at a certain status is desirable; having an 80% increase is unrealistic (unless the audience knows almost nothing in the beginning). Because we are dealing with food and eating, which is a part of everyone’s everyday lives, attitudes and behaviors are going to be relatively positive in the beginning. With this in mind, even small increases toward the desired statuses really are victories.
By comparing responses of the pre and post survey and looking at the percentage of increase, the results are good, but not as large as the objectives initially stated. However, if we look at the post survey responses only, the stats are more in line with where we had anticipated seeing participants after taking classes.
In analyzing results from surveys taken in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, comparing the increase of post responses over pre-survey responses, we see the rates of increase may seem small. I’m reminded of a book by Barrie Richardson called “The +10% Principle: How to get extraordinary results from ordinary people” The premise of the book is that although 10% may seem to be a small increase, who wouldn’t want a 10% raise in their salary, or a 10% increase grow of financial investment, or a 10% increase in employee productivity, and so on. Basically, a 10% increase is more than significant, it’s really extraordinary. When we think about the fact that many people who are willing to come to more than one class and complete a survey are people who are already interested in improving their health related skills, they are likely to come with fairly high rates of positive behaviors, so even small increases, around 10%, are pretty “extra-ordinary”. Classes like the mobile cooking school help those who are looking for solutions to the problems they have already identified for themselves.
Below is a summary of increases reported in post surveys as compared to pre-survey responses:
Behavior/Attitude | 2014/15 results | 2015/16 results | Cumulative
average |
Eating fruits and vegetable everyday (increase) | 8% | <1% | 4% |
Feeling confident in preparing fruits and vegetables (increase) | 6% | 7% | 6.5% |
Perception/dislike for cooking because too much time involved (decrease) | 9% | 9% | 9% |
Confidence in preparing meals from basic ingredients (increase) | 8% | 13% | 10.5% |
Perception of cooking as “too much work” (decrease) | 13% | 4% | 8.5% |
Understanding how food relates to health (increase) | 4% | 1% | 2.5% |
Confidence in preparing meals that follow USDA’s MyPlate (increase) | 18% | 29% | 23.5% |
Understanding of proper temperatures for food safety (increase) | 12% | 23% | 17.5% |
Preference for eating at home rather than fast food or restaurant (increase) | 13% | 5% | 9% |
Perception of ease of preparing food at home (increase) | 9% | 7% | 8% |
If we look at the results in a different way and consider the perceptions of participants after attending classes (i.e.: using only post responses only) we find:
Behavior/Attitude | 2015/2016 results |
I eat fruits and vegetable everyday | 89% (agree) |
I feel confident in preparing fruits and vegetables | 85% (agree) |
I dislike cooking because too much time involved | 57% (disagree) |
I feel confident in preparing meals from basic ingredients | 89% (agree) |
I think cooking is “too much work” | 57% (disagree) |
I understand how food relates to my health | 99% (agree) |
I feel confident in preparing meals that follow USDA’s MyPlate | 78% (agree) |
I understand proper temperatures for food safety | 99% (agree) |
I prefer eating at home rather than fast food or restaurant | 70% (agree) |
I think preparing food at home is easy to do | 81% (agree) |
In the event we make a new request for funding, I would maintain the same concept, but would certainly word the objectives differently to give a much better picture of the expected results. If we only wanted to look at behavior and attitudes after attending a class, a retrospective post survey would be all that is needed. One advantage of using a pre-survey is that is also serves as a needs assessment by asking participants what they would like to learn. This was useful in understanding the audience and tailoring classes to meet the groups needs and wants more specifically.
Here are some ways I would re-word:
After the completion of the one or more lessons/classes
- 80% of participants will report ability to make healthy food choices
- 80% of participants will report confidence in cooking skills necessary to prepare healthy meals
- 80% of participants will report understanding of the MyPlate concepts
- 50% of participants will report an adequate intake of weekly vegetables and fruits
- 50% of participants will demonstrate a new food preparation skill that promotes good health
Or if there is a preference toward focusing on increases, more realistic percentages would be more like the following.
After the completion of one or more lessons/classes
- 10% of participants will demonstrate increased ability to make healthy food choices
- 10% of participants will report increased confidence in cooking skills necessary to prepare healthy meals
- 10% of participants will report a better understanding of the MyPlate concepts
- 5% of participants will demonstrate a new food preparation skill that promotes good health
- 5% of participants will report an increased intake of weekly vegetables and fruits
Or, of course, totally new objectives can be designed to match funding requirements and/or another instrument. Either way, some type of evaluation is needed to make sure the project is on track and effective.
With this project in particular, a lot of time and effort is required and it reaches relatively small numbers at any one time (usually anywhere from 6 to 24 in a classes). Along with all of the other demands for Family and Consumer Sciences programming, I spend about 20% of my time on this project. I have co-workers and volunteers who help implement the classes. We have averaged about 30 classes, of which about 7 were series of 3, in 2015 and 2016 reaching around 150 people each year. Each class is about 2 hours long, with 2-5 hours of prep-time (planning, shopping, load, set-up, clean up, unload, etc.), and related travel time. This means lots of time has been invested but no huge numbers of contacts are made. Nevertheless, I am proud of the results. Seeing even small increases in the desired behaviors and attitudes and having large percentage of people practicing the desired behaviors after attending classes, gives me hope and makes me feel like the effort is worthwhile.
If you are interested in seeing a “Making a Difference” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension In-depth Summary report on this project, you can view mine here.
Logo this
Program identifiers are important! In addition o using the Extension logo and the United Way logos (that were current at that time) we wanted to have something to identify and separate our mobile cooking school specifically. We added the logo to incentive items whenever we could. We use aprons with the logo for all of the classes, and when people attend all 3 classes, we let them keep the apron.
We used www.fiverr.com to come up with a logo. Fiverr has a multitude of “gigs” you can purchase starting at $5. There are a lot of graphic designers who will develop a logo as a gig. We received several nice logos and ultimately decided to use a black and white badge style logo because we thought it would work best in print for black and white copies and other single color items (like the aprons and incentives).
Anywho, if you need a logo for your cooking schools or anything else, fiverr is an option.
Heads up for MyPlate – icebreaker idea
Icebreakers are a good way to start a class. They help people relax and get to know each other. They are also a good way to introduce or reinforce teaching concepts. We found a fun holiday game on Pinterest (and at this link), and decided to adapt it for an “anyday” cooking class.
The original idea was to give participants a paper plate and ask them to put it on their head and use a pen or a pencil to draw a holiday scene (on the plate, on top of their head). The instructions were simple (from the site linked above):
1. Draw a line for a floor.
2. Draw a Christmas Tree. Add decorations if you feel so inclined.
3. Draw a star on top of your tree.
4. Draw a fireplace with a mantel next to the tree.
5. Draw a stocking hanging from the mantel of your fireplace.
6. Draw a present below the tree.
After the six steps have been given, let everyone look at their plates.
<<Insert lots of laughing and revelry as people share their ridiculous drawings.>>
Then have players count up how many points they received by following this rubric:
1. 2 points if the tree touches the floor.
2. 2 points if your stocking is touching your mantel.
3. 1 point if your star touches your tree.
4. 1 point if your star is above your tree.
5. 1 point for every Christmas ornament ball that is ON your tree, etc.
6. 1 point if your fireplace doesn’t touch the tree (it’s a fire hazard!).
7. 1 point if you actually drew something decorative on your stocking (or something cute, like a tiny kitten peeking out).
8. 2 points if your present is under your tree.
So… to adapt it for cooking class and introducing or reinforcing MyPlate concepts, we instructed participants to draw a MyPlate, label the sections, and put some fruits and vegetables on it. Then, we gave points for having the sections labeled correctly, having the dairy section touch the plate, having fruits and vegetables in the right sections, and bonus points if the fork was included.
Fun was had by all! 🙂
Well-equipped
When we first started considering the cooking classes we weren’t really sure what all we would need in terms of supplies and equipment. Since it was meant to be a “mobile” cooking school we wanted to have everything we might need at any given site without relying on being in or near a fully stocked kitchen. The format of the mobile cooking school described in Instructor’s guide could certainly be used in classes offered in a “regular” setting, but our goal was mobility. Also, I think most educators could piece together enough equipment and adapt to teach the classes in the mobile setting. But, we had the grant funds to use, so we went to work creating 4 supply tubs to take with us wherever we might be going.
We wanted to be as prepared as possible with out being overloaded. We used the 4-H Food Challenge equipment list as a guide for our proposal and made a few minor adjustments to come up with our supply list. We had an awesome intern, Rhonda Katterhagen, working with us who really loved shopping. She did a lot of research to find the best deals. Since we were in a “pilot project” and weren’t sure how many classes we would do or how long the project would last, our goal was to purchase mid-range quality items and see how they worked. Rhonda found a lot of great deals at discount stores. We also purchased items online and at regular department stores. Overall, we spent about $500 per box (in 2014).
Most everything has lasted really well, but we decided recently to purchase a few new things to replace items that were showing signs of over-wear from more than 2 years of use and abuse. We replaced the 5, 2, and 1 quart saucepan set and the 8- and 10-inch skillet set with a 12-Inch All Purpose Pan and a 5 Qt. Chili Stock Pot. If I could only have one of the 2, I would go with the all purpose pan, for sure, but the stock pot is nice to have too. These probably cost more than than the saucepan and skillet sets, but we have found them to be more useful (we hardly ever used the 1 and 2 quart saucepans or the 8 inch skillet, and the 10-inch skillet was often too small for our recipes). These will be much more durable, as well. And, now that this project has become a mainstay of our programming, we feel it was worth the cost.
We also replaced the electric skillets after more than 2 years of use. We spent a little more on the 16-Inch Electric Foldaway Skillet. Unlike the basic electric skillets we purchased the first time, these have a base that can fold and store inside the skillet. Although the capacity is larger, it actually takes up less space in the tub. Of course, the utensil set was used a lot too, so we recently replaced it with a basic 5-piece silicone set.
Although the supply list has only 1 bamboo cutting board listed, we actually had that (which we hardly use) AND 2 sets of the flexible plastic cutting mats, 4 color coded large mats and a 4 color coded small mats, in each tub. These have also begun to show wear and we have been replacing them with some of the mats we have for incentive/give-away items.
At first we had knives in each of the small boxes inside of each tub. But, after awhile, we started keeping them all together in one box. This helps keep up with them better, and is actually safer. None of the participants have ever cut their hands in class, but I nicked myself a few times while cleaning up in a hurry. Which, by the way, another extra item we purchased and make available for anyone who wants to use them in class, is a supply of cut-resistant gloves. We also started keeping all of the kitchen towels and hot pads/oven mitts together rather than in each box. Because they have to be laundered after each class, putting them back in the boxes after the boxes had been stored away was a pain.
The fold-flat dollies with bungee cords really helped to move the boxes from storage to the vehicle and vehicle to site and back. But, being the klutz that I am, I popped myself with the bungees a few times. Then, we found some fold flat 4 wheel hand trucks like this that are amazing! They carry a really heavy load and are super easy to handle and maneuver with no bungee cords needed!
One last tip to share: we taped a supply list inside of a sheet protector to the lid of each tub. This made re-stocking the tubs after a class sooooo much easier. After awhile, I got to where I could pretty much eyeball the supplies and see what needed to go in each box. But, the list is a good double-check and really great when volunteers want to help. Packing the boxes is a little bit like playing a game of Tetris…but the list helps with that too. We’ve joked about drawing a diagram for how to pack a box…but that is still on the “to-do” list.
Well, it’s pretty obvious with the equipment, we have lived and learned. If you have any questions about the specific things we purchased or how we actually use the items on the list, don’t hesitate to contact us at mobilecookingschool@ag.tamu.edu
Credit where credit is due!
The Instructor’s Guide includes several sample recipes that we found work well in the mobile setting. Those recipes were pulled from a lot of different sources and every effort was made to credit them appropriately.
Many came from past “Dinner Tonight!” recipe books. Dinner Tonight! is a popular Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program that features live community events or shows as well as a very useful website for recipe and food prep ideas. The website dinnertonight.tamu.edu is chock-full of great information and easy, nutritious recipes. There are also lots of videos for all you visual learners!
Other recipes were carefully selected from the internet. As internet information goes, things change pretty fast and often there are multiple links that make it difficult to determine original sources. One of our favorite recipes is “Salmon Cakes and Ginger Mayonnaise“. In the guide it is credited as coming from http://everydaypaleo.com/salmon-cakes-with-homemade-ginger-mayo/ which is where I first found it when it was shared by a friend. Currently, that site redirects to https://sarahfragoso.com/salmon-cakes-with-homemade-ginger-mayo/. So, we want to make sure to give credit and a shout out to Sarah Fragoso for that awesome recipe!
Another one I love came from buzzfeed.com. The Chickpea and Black Bean Salad was featured in an email, or a social media post, or somewhere I saw with the title “This Chickpea And Black Bean Salad Is What Your Body Needs”. By generally accepted nutrition principles, it really is good stuff! After looking back at the site, I’m not sure who came up with this recipe, but it is awesome, and I want to say thank you!
So, a word of caution… any recipe selected for use in a mobile cooking school should agree with the principles of MyPlate and be nutritionally sound while supporting healthy eating patterns. Whereas the internet has a lot of great stuff, not everything is always as it seems. Also, it’s important for your recipes to be people tested and nutrition educator approved…in other words: it should taste good and be good for you!
Check the Helpful Links page for good sites to find recipes!
Yummy Lime-Pineapple Dessert
Yummy is right! Yummy Lime-Pineapple Dessert is a funny name for a recipe, but I’m not sure what else you would call it. We use it a lot in our mobile cooking classes, because it’s quick, easy, a good source of calcium, incorporates the dairy and fruit groups into the menu and it’s… well… yummy! One of my co-workers says it reminds her of the gelatin desserts they serve at cafeteria restaurants, but this recipe takes so much less time to make and is so much tastier.
In class, we usually have participants make this first so it can chill while everything else is being prepped. If there is not a fridge handy, we just use the ice chests/coolers with ice. Although lime and pineapple is a classic flavor combination, we’ve had fun offering different combinations for groups to try. Sometimes, we give each group a different combination, then compare and contrast the flavors. And, sometimes we just set the gelatin and fruit out and let people pick their own combo. Some popular combinations have been orange gelatin and mandarin oranges; strawberry gelatin with fresh banana slices or frozen bananas and strawberries or frozen berry bland; peach gelatin and peaches. Once we tried lemon gelatin with coconut flakes…not the sweetened shredded coconut flakes, but the ones that are newer on the market … the big flakes of toasty, crunchy, coconut goodness. Another fun one around the holidays was cranberry gelatin and apples flakes…similar to the coconut flakes but crispy baked apple flakes…yumm-o!
We’ve had people ask if they have to use the sugar-free gelatin. Some people have sensitivities to the sugar substitutes. The the answer is no you don’t have to use the sugar-free, it works just fine with the “fully-leaded” gelatin. But as with anything, you’ll want watch out for your overall sugar intake. Even with low-sugar-low-fat ingredients, we should enjoy this dessert in moderation! And…did I mention this recipe is super yummy?…it is easy to over do it with this one. Nevertheless, it’s a quick, easy, nutritious, and yes, yummy way to complete a menu!