Making Kids Healthier, One School at a Time

By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Jan 17, 2007 6:00PM

Greg Christian used to be a rock-star chef. Think Anthony Bourdain before he stopped doing the partying and started writing books and appearing on the Food Network. Christian cooked hard, partied hard and essentially lived every chef's dream; working at the now-closed Gordon’s restaurant under executive chef John Terczak and then ultimately starting his own catering company.

Hungry Mag has a great profile of Christian up, in which his story of discovering the organic food movement and his subsequent efforts to transform student lunches in Chicago Public Schools is told. After Christian's daughter came down with chronic asthma, he looked for alternatives to traditional medicine, turning to alternative medicines and organic food, and ultimately leaving his partying ways behind.

His next project? Transforming the food served in CPS cafeterias through the non-profit organization Organic School Project. The OSP seeks to "transform Chicago-area children into healthier, more mindful eaters, one school and one child at a time," via the implementation of organic, healthy meals served in schools, and education of students regarding healthy food choices. The three schools that are piloting Christian's program have organic farms set up, so students receive a crash course in organic farming.

Will the OSP ultimately work? It is hard for anyone to say for sure, but Christian's program seems to be moving in the right direction. He understands both the complexities of working with the CPS and with students' appetites. As he told Hungry Mag, “If they eat burgers on Monday, let’s feed them organic burgers on Monday.”