FIU School of Hospitality in Miami Hosts Common Threads
It was once said, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.” The ingredients of said axiom are the same ingredients that are so profoundly evident within the spirit of Common Threads.
Common Threads is an organization dedicated to educating children on the importance of nutrition and physical well being while fostering an appreciation of cultural identity and cultural diversity through cooking. This organization teaches low-income children between 8 and 12 how to cook wholesome and affordable meals, grounded in the philosophy that these cooking classes can help prevent childhood obesity and reverse the trend of generations while celebrating cultural differences.
Common Threads began in Chicago six years ago; Miami has joined the 18 sites in Chicago and is currently one of four national locations. During the 2009/10 school year, under the leadership of Miami-based chef and restaurant owner Michelle Bernstein, 32 students from North Miami’s William Jennings Bryan Elementary School and North Miami Elementary School participated in hands-on cooking lessons based on cuisines from around the world.
Common Threads founder Art Smith—personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and a renowned author and restaurateur—believes that cultural diversity is also a vital ingredient of the project. He believes it fosters an understanding, and more importantly, an appreciation for those cultures and traditions that are different from our own.
Classes teach students basic cooking skills with an emphasis on learning about new fruits and vegetables and the techniques to cook fresh, quality ingredients. Each of the lessons focuses on a different culture as the students prepare and sample world cuisine with recipes and tastings of typical foods from different cultures. Each class is designed to gradually build upon the student’s skills. By the end of the 12-week session, the students have learned how to prepare complete meals while touring world cuisine, with healthy cooking and eating habits.
“We are so proud to host Common Threads at FIU School of Hospitality,” said Dr. Diann Newman, who brought Common Threads to FIU. “As a university, we are dedicated to our mission of investing in our community. Change comes with vision, time, courage, experience and tenacity. We are gratified to work with Chef Michelle Bernstein, students and administrators of William Jennings Bryan Elementary School and North Miami Elementary School and our School of Hospitality students to be part of the solution.”