Gardening and Cooking at the Library?

Alisa had an idea. Who is Alisa, you might ask? Alisa James is one of our library assistants at the Vista Grande Library, and she loves cooking and gardening.

She manages the Seed Library at the Vista Grande Library by restocking, labeling and watering the plants in the library grown from our seeds. She also is our contact for the University of Arizona Master Gardener group that presents monthly at our library.

And, she also is known for bringing in her yummy homemade pesto from the basil grown by the front window of the library.

An idea from Alisa was brought to the librarians and our Library Manager Amber Kent. How about having a cooking class to show our patrons how to use what you grow in your recipes? We thought it was a good idea, but how would we implement it?

Amber had heard of a project called the Charlie Cart Project. The mission of the Charlie Cart Project is to make hands-on food education accessible to everywhere children gather to learn so kids have the knowledge and confidence to make healthy food choices for their life.

So, with the help of the Friends of the Library, a Charlie Cart was purchased. The cart is a mobile kitchen specifically designed with schools and community organizations in mind. The kitchen includes: a convection oven and induction cooktop; a stainless-steel sink with spray nozzle and gray water system; storage cabinets; a power and electrical system optimized for classroom use; and a one-year fit and finish warranty.

The Charlie Cart arrives packed and ready to use. Every cart comes fully equipped with 170-plus thoughtfully selected cooking tools, including pots, pans, utensils, cutting mats, measuring tools, child-friendly knives and more.

Alisa took the Arizona Food Handler Card and Training online and got to work planning. She now does three programs that include a pre-school cooking class, a school-age cooking class and an adult cooking class, all using mostly healthy ingredients. Classes are held monthly and registration is required for the kids’ cooking classes.

You can find the schedule by going to www.cglibrary.org and clicking on the Vista Grande Library Calendar link. Search for Cooking Class, then click on the appropriate one and register. Follow the library on Facebook @cglibraryaz for upcoming programs and information.