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Nuggets Of Wisdom

Tribune photo by CANDACE MUNDY

Leto High School's culinary students and early childhood students are working together on a healthy eating project. The culinary class makes lunch daily for the preschoolers who attend the Leto program. IN PHOTO--lf to rt Kassandra Gutierrez and Sarena Green work with Chef Debra Hladky in the school's kitchen.

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Cooperation between Leto High School culinary students and early childhood development classes earned enthusiastic reviews when one 4-year-old spotted his full plate at a recent lunch.

"Spaghetti," Charles Burdick shouted. "My favorite!"

The toddlers and preschoolers who attend Little Leto day care this year got a taste of the high school's award-winning culinary program when the high school students began cooking lunch for them. Before, the day care program had relied on food from the cafeteria, which was not geared toward young children.

Now, culinary students spend a class period preparing homemade chicken nuggets, pizza from scratch and other entrees, along with starches, fruits and vegetables, and occasional desserts. When meals are hot and ready, the early childhood students wheel them down the hall from the culinary program's kitchen and into the Little Leto room.

The teens cut anything big or unwieldy into tiny pieces and serve it to their charges, sitting beside them to help them eat.

About 33 children, from infant to preschool, attend Little Leto daily. Most are children of Leto staff, and high school students work along full-time day care employees.

The arrangement works for everyone, participants said. High school students study nutrition and put what they learn into practice, and the day care avoids frozen entrees, which can be high in sodium.

"Now we get everything fresh," said Marguerite Philon, the day care director.

The programs work together on developing menus and offering feedback on popular meals and suggesting changes. Philon said she likes knowing her children are getting meals designed for them.

Early childhood teacher Sandy Cavadias showed her high school students the documentary "Supersize Me" to help them understand nutritional shortcomings of fast food. She explained the difference between the fast-food nuggets children might get at a restaurant and the hand-breaded and baked ones from the culinary program.

Chef Debra Hladky, who runs the culinary program and has two children enrolled in Little Leto, makes sure the meals are balanced and consider specific needs. Carrots, for example, must be diced small so they are not a choking hazard. Vegetables get steamed to retain the most nutrients.

"I'm into nutrition. I'm into healthy eating, Hladky said. "It's something I want to do for Little Leto."

Meals are prepared the same way as gourmet dishes but with kid-friendly twists. Fish sticks are tilapia sliced, hand-breaded and pan-fried, then baked. Chicken Parmesan is based on nuggets, and the student chefs start with chicken breasts they pound thin. Students mix and knead dough to have a homemade crust ready for pizza day.

The culinary program also caters banquets and cooks breakfast and lunch for school staff members. The different duties require different approaches, said Dayalis Gonzalez, a junior

For a banquet, students aim for elegance. For the toddlers, they think about their audience.

"We try to make it creative so it's something they will eat," said Gonzalez, 17.

In the preschool classroom, a recent meal of chicken Parmesan nuggets, spaghetti and carrots and corn was met with enthusiasm. Four-year-old Ashley Cosby wasn't crazy about the vegetables but put a T-shirt over her pink princess dress so she could dig into the spaghetti.

Elizabeth York, 4, waited for her spaghetti to get cut into smaller pieces but was excited about her plate.

"I like carrots," she said.

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LITTLE LETO LUNCH MENU

The culinary program puts together meals based on available ingredients and tries to build each around an entree, a starch and fresh fruits and vegetables. Here are some recent meals for the Little Leto children:

•Hamburger, potato pancake, broccoli, pears

•Baked ham, macaroni and cheese, broccoli, cantaloupe

•Chicken and cheese quesadilla, potato pancakes, broccoli, orange

•Grilled cheese, au gratin potatoes, broccoli, berry yogurt

•Tuna sandwich, buttered noodles, green beans, cantaloupe

•Homemade pizza, broccoli, pineapple

•Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti with sauce, corn, apple slices

•Hot dogs, baked beans, green beans, oranges

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503

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