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Outreach Projects >> COOKING Outreach Projects Cooking with the Chef As part of its childhood obesity community outreach efforts, SCNRC contracted with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) statewide CDC Obesity Prevention Initiative in 2005 to help study issues impacting obesity in the state. Marge Condraksy, assistant professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Clemson University, received one such DHEC contract to evaluate the influence of the “Cooking with the Chef” nutrition program. “Cooking with a Chef” is a program developed to inspire caregivers of preschool children to provide healthier meals for their families by cooking at home,” explains Condrasky, who herself is a culinary research expert. The intervention program is conducted with a group of parents, primarily mothers and other caregivers. A Nutrition Educator presents the group with nutritional information and handouts. A chef provides participants with a ‘hands on’ cooking experience. “The caregivers develop skills /cooking techniques and become more confident with their cooking ability,” says Condrasky. “They also become more knowledgeable about nutrition and are capable of providing healthier foods for their families.” Twenty-nine individuals recruited through church preschool programs participated in the most recent DHEC study. Condrasky and her chef team provided six lessons that included nutrition education and food preparation to see if it would help change cooking practices at home and support of healthy eating behaviors and fruit/vegetable availability. “Cooking with the Chef increased caregiver’s confidence and cooking skills, suggesting this model program provides an opportunity to modify eating behaviors in families with young children,” says Condrasky.