Leaders of Tomorrow: 'The Culinary Kids' of Far Rockaway

Left to right: Rebecca La Madrid, Nickoy Longmore, Chef Malisa Rivera, Founder, Executive Director, Latifah Corke, Niekita Higgins

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Youth Initiative Provides Culinary Skills and Nutritional Programs to Queens Residents

Far Rockaway, NY - The Culinary Kids Culinary Arts Initiative is an emerging safe haven for youth residing in low-income areas of Far Rockaway, New York. The organization places emphasis on recruiting teens, ranging from 14 to 18-years-of-age, and providing them with important nutritional information, low-cost meals for their families, and culinary/home economic skills.

"The chances of sustaining the peninsula's agricultural future have dramatically improved over the past several months," said Chef Malisa Rivera, Founder and Executive Director of the Culinary Kids Culinary Arts Initiative.

"As a result of strong support from community groups, churches, elected officials, Community Board 14, local sponsors and local media, The Culinary Kids Day Camp -- in conjunction with the Culinary Arts Initiative, Inc. -- is pleased to announce that the group’s food justice programs will be growing, no pun intended, by leaps and bounds on the peninsula. The expansion began this summer, and we are confident that this expansion will continue well into the future."

Founders Marion and Malisa Moses informed From The G-Man that the group will be launching Farm Rockaway, at Beach Channel Drive and Beach 58 Street, to expand on their urban aquaculture program started two years ago at Beach 31 Street and Seagirt Avenue. Aquaculture involves growing vegetables and fruits in a soil-less medium, in many cases fertilized by the natural waste products of fish farming.

The Farm Rockaway Project located on Beach 58th Street and Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway, is an expansion of all programs that are currently in place.

Pictured (left to right) are Rebecca La Madrid, Erica Ortiz, Chef Marion Moses Director of Programming and Development and Natasha Walker.

Programs that have been launched within the last three years include the following:

Culinary Kids Day Camp’s Culinary Youth Program - an annual program that introduces students to the culinary arts, food safety, cooking, Internet research, food tasting and hosts several trips on farming and agriculture.

Culinary Kids Community Garden Program - a program where students learn about planting and growing crops, vermiculture and aquaculture.

Culinary Kids Youth Farmers’ Market Entrepreneurship Program - a program that gives students an opportunity to learn -- hands-on -- how to operate a farmer's market, as well as marketing and selling produce to the public. Students will be using wireless terminals and accepting EBT/Debit/Credit card payments.

Culinary Kids Food Emergency Management Program - a program that will be implemented in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Given that land usage at "Farm Rockaway" will primarily be for the public, all crops and the farm-raised fish -- along with the reverse osmosis water -- will be donated to the public.

Culinary Kids Food Bank - which has been servicing the Far Rockaway community since Summer 2009. It provides non-perishable items and healthy food and vegetables from the Youth Farmer's Market on a monthly basis.

Additional information on the organization may be obtained at www.culinarykidsdaycamp.org. Email may be sent to info@culinarykidsdaycamp.org.

Left to right: Nickoy Longmore, Niekita Higgins, Shania Banton, Shawn Chapman, Chef Marion Moses, Rebecca Lamadrid, Latifah Corke and Natasha Walker.

The Culinary Kids of Far Rockaway, without question, America's.... leaders of tomorrow.

Photos courtesy of Chef Malisa Rivera, Culinary Kids Culinary Arts Initiative