Our mission is to open new possibilities for young people by increasing knowledge of and desire for healthy foods. Every child and adolescent, regardless of income, should have access to healthy meals and be able to achieve their maximum potential.
When young people learn how to cook with The Sylvia Center, they:
Learn the essential skills of the kitchen and nutrition
Understand how to make healthy meal choices
Grow their own taste for fresh fruits and vegetables
Adopt positive habits that impact lifelong health
Share what they’ve learned with their own community
The roots of health disparities start to develop in childhood:
In the Communities we serve:
Consume at least one sugary beverage daily
Are overweight or obese
Eat less than recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables
Learning to cook helps young people take control of what they put into their own bodies.
The Sylvia Center is a part of a growing movement to empower the next generation of healthy eaters and cooks. The problem may be big, and the stakes high, but together we can lift up young people to take their own place at the table.
Our Impact
Students in our hands-on programs are more likely to eat fresh and healthy foods, and build real-world skills:
Improve their diet by eating more fruits and vegetables
Significantly improve their cooking skills
Understand how to make a healthy meal for themselves
Really “LOVE TO COOK!”
Our Programs
Fresh Food
Tailored for our youngest students, our Fresh Food programming focuses on exposing them to fresh, healthy foods.
Full Plate
Geared toward our elementary and middle school students, our Full Plate programming focuses on building confidence in the kitchen through nutrition education and learning fundamental cooking skills.
Community Table
Our Community Table programming aims to expose our high school students to opportunities that connect their passion for food with long-term career development.
Our Programs in Action
Through our programs, young people learn essential skills in the kitchen and gain the confidence to make healthier choices now, and in the future. Young people are applying the skills they learn in our cooking classes to other areas of their life and becoming advocates for healthy communities.
Current News
Summer with The Sylvia Center!
Beginning July 13th, we will share a dynamic weekly series of daily themed videos on our social media channels. Check out the summer schedule.
In Full Bloom
Our Sylvia Center team has partnered with local food-focused organizations to bring virtual cooking classes (and farm fresh ingredients!) to families in Columbia County.
Leaders of Tomorrow!
Now more than ever, we celebrate our incredible Teen Culinary Apprenticeship graduates as they become food justice leaders in their own communities.
While the doors to our Sylvia Center community kitchens are temporarily closed, we have a duty to continue our work, and to find other ways to keep growing skills for healthy eating and cooking. The Sylvia Center will be open online to provide fun and engaging lessons for students, families and teachers over the coming weeks.