Brookside Students Harvest Vegetables, Renowned Chef Makes Salad Dressings

When chef Marc Alvarez asked a group of about 20 first-graders at if they liked vegetables, most of them raised their hands.

When he asked what kind of vegetables they liked, the children started to list all the vegetables they had been growing at their school's edible garden. 

The chef, who lives in Mt. Kisco and has been a personal chef to several celebrities, visited the class of first-grade teachers Laurie Foley and Francine Frey on Thursday. He made vinaigrette dressings, which the students would enjoy when they all have their salads at lunch on Friday.

For his salad dressing, Alvarez, who started his cooking career when he was 16, used the freshest ingredients – thyme and parsley – which students harvested on Wednesday from Brookside's edible garden. Some of the harvested veggies included lettuce, spinach, arugula and strawberries. 

"You're more willing to take pride when you take ownership," Laura Tolosi said of the children growing the vegetables.

Tolosi, the teacher who had organized the chef's visit, said the kids were initially nervous to get dirt on their hands when planting the vegetables, but there was a drastic change in the children over the course of the year.

Alvarez, a father of two young children, quickly bonded with the Yorktown students who eagerly raised their hands to answer his questions and show their knowledge about healthy eating. 

Before making vinaigrette dressings, he passed around bowls with balsamic vinegar and avocado oil for the children to try, so they know about the different ingredients that can go into a salad dressing. 

"If they know the food and what to do and how to eat it, they'll make good food choices in the future," he said. 

The healthy eating demonstration was also turned into a short math lesson as he asked the kids to calculate how many tablespoons of olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and grape-seed oil would go into his salad dressing. He then put in a pinch of salt and some pepper, whisked the mixture and added the fresh herbs to it. 

Alvarez told the kids if their parents wanted to make the vinaigrette (not adding any of the herbs) at home in advance, they could store it in the fridge for up to a month. Just add the fresh herbs right before you have your salad and enjoy. 

Hailey Carter, 6 years old, said she would be telling her mother about the salad dressing she tasted at school.

"It's yummy," the 6-year-old said after her teachers passes around some of the dressing with a piece of bread the children could try. "It tasted a little bitter, a little bit strong, but I still liked it."

Max Vanderbeek, 7 years old, liked the dressing so much that he loudly declared "it tastes so good" and asked for another piece of bread. 

Alvarez, who has worked at top restaurants, teaches cooking classes and caters private parties, said it was important to teach kids from an early age about healthy eating habits. Chicken fingers or fries is not food, according to him, and potatoes cannot pass as vegetables in his kitchen. 

"In this day and age, we're all leading busy lives to take the time to slow down, cook and sit at the table," said Alvarez, who has formed Consierge Foods as a way for the community to source local foods grown in the area. "But there is no better feeling."

Click here to read more about Consierge Foods and learn how to get in touch with Alvarez. 

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