Local vegetables are affordable and versatile sources of nutrients, but they’re also underrated especially among children. For this year’s celebration of International Chef’s Day, Nestlé Philippines and the Le Toque Blanche (LTB) Philippines Chefs Association promoted healthy eating and good food choices with local vegetables as the highlight.

In an event held last 15 October, Grade 5 students from C.P. Sta. Teresa Elementary School in Taguig City became “Food Explorers” as they learned about the Pinggang Pinoy and benefits of eating vegetables through educational games and a hands-on cooking activity.

Chefs from LTB Philippines first explained the nutritional value of the six hero local vegetables, namely, pechay, tomato, malunggay, kangkong, eggplant and ampalaya, and the ways these can be utilized in making tasty and balanced meals at home and for baon. After the walkthrough, Chef Marga Marty demonstrated how to make vegetable okoy (Filipino-style fritters) and sinigang soup using the hero vegetables and Maggi products as ingredients.

“If you look at our hero vegetables, all of them are native to the Philippines. These are affordable and also relatable to Filipino households,” she said. “Today’s recipes are good examples of making vegetables tasty and more appealing to children.”

Assisted by chefs from LTB Philippines and Philippine Young Chefs Club (PYCC), the students got to try their hand at preparing and cooking the featured dishes, which proved to be an enjoyable learning experience for everyone.

Rosalyn Monterde, Wellness Coordinator of C.P. Sta. Teresa Elementary School, said this International Chef’s Day activity complements the school’s nutrition program by helping promote healthy eating habits and demonstrating practical healthy food preparation.

“The students showed genuine interest in learning new cooking techniques especially because they are guided by professional chefs. While tasting the dishes they prepared, they were surpised by how delicious vegetable-based dishes could be. I believe this hands-on cooking experience made them better appreciate eating vegetables and their benefits to their health.”

Notably, the school’s Gulayan sa Paaralan Program is able to sustainably produce vegetables that are used for their feeding program.