VIDEO: Look Mom, I’m Eating Healthy!

On Wednesday, at , located at 211 Throop Avenue, celebrity pastry chef Ron-Ben Israel teamed up with the food rescue organization City Harvest, to show a group of eager elementary school students how to make for themselves snacks that are both nutritious and delicious.

The group of about a dozen children gathered at a table in their school’s cafeteria to take part in a step-by-step demonstration of how to make apple crisp dessert and a Greek salad. They used plastic chef knives and cutting boards and were taught about the importance of precise measuring and following directions.

“I love the recipe that they made, because it’s healthy for us, and it’s not too sweet. It’s only got a little sugar,” said 2nd-grade student, Asia, who participated in the demonstration.

Now serving New York City for 30 years, City Harvest is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city’s hungry men, women, and children. City Harvest helps feed the more than one million New Yorkers that face hunger each year by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste and delivering it free of charge to some 600 community food programs throughout New York City.

Since 2000, City Harvest has offered hands-on nutrition and cooking classes, taught by nutritionists and culinary volunteers, to help families with limited incomes shop for and prepare healthy, nutritious meals.

“The kids love the cooking classes,” said Allison Alexander, assistant principal at P.S. 59. “Another thing we’re doing to encourage healthy snacking is we’ll be starting our own garden at the end of this year with herbs, and the kids will be making a children’s cookbook."

Ron Ben-Israel, chef and owner of one of the country’s finest couture cake studios and a host of Food Network’s “Sweet Genius,” is a devoted supporter of City Harvest, serving as a member of its Food Council of Chefs. His volunteer participation in City Harvest helps to raise funds and visibility for the organization, while also giving back a little of his expertise to underserved communities.

“I’ve been involved with City Harvest for about seven years, but so far I’ve only done the adult events,” said Ben-Israel. “This is the first time I get to work with kids. And they’re actually pretty good. And they’re so enthusiastic; every child really wants to help out.”

“This program is just great,” said Alexander. “You can ask one of our pre-k children what a healthy snack is, and they can tell you. This has just been wonderful for them.”

For more information on City Harvest and bringing its programs to your community or school, visit the organization's website.