Farm at Florence 1 hosts family night with nutrition lessons, cooking demo and raffles

Farmer Jeff, the host of the Farm at Florence 1, opened the family night with a welcome and an overview of the program, saying the initiative began in February and would pair hands-on cooking with nutrition education. "My name is farmer Jeff, and we're so excited to have you here," he told the gathered families.

The program combined short classroom-style lessons and a hands-on cooking demo. Carrie Hollifield of the MUSC Boeing Children's Wellness Center introduced a team of presenters and Chartwells chefs who led the evening. Abigail began with a how-to on food labels and portioning, explaining MyPlate and how package serving sizes affect calories. "Calories refer to the energy that we get from food and beverages," Abigail said as she walked attendees through label features.

Grace followed with a short primer on percent daily values and added sugars, advising shoppers to limit certain nutrients. "You wanna get 5% or less of the nutrients that are shown in red," she said, referring to saturated fat, trans fat and added sugars, and recommended looking for 20% or more for fiber and key vitamins.

Hannah from Clemson Extension Nutrition closed the instructional block with tips for stretching grocery budgets—plan meals, buy in bulk when items are on sale, choose seasonal or frozen produce and cook at home rather than relying on restaurant meals. "Plan your meals ahead of time," she said, outlining the first and most effective budget strategy.

Chartwells chefs then led attendees—working at eight cooking stations—through a Blue Zones–inspired chili. Chef Amani set safety rules and basic technique before walking families through mise en place, browning lean turkey, sautéing vegetables and combining stock, beans and tomatoes. "You're gonna get in the kitchen to make some good chili," Chef Amani told the group as participants prepared ingredients. The chefs emphasized handwashing, using gloves where appropriate and parental supervision around knives.

Participants sampled the finished chili, added diced avocado as garnish and traded reactions with the chefs. Organizers reminded attendees that, for food-safety reasons, dishes prepared at the event needed to remain on-site. Farmer Jeff also highlighted sustainability practices such as reusing plates and collecting food scraps for farm use.

Cathy Lee, representing Blue Zones (and also noting work with the district), gave a brief outreach talk about the Blue Zones concept and the district's engagement with the initiative. "There are places in the world, five places in the world called Blue Zones," Lee said, explaining that those regions are associated with longer lifespans and plant-forward diets. She directed families to a Blue Zones table where they could pick up recipes and takeaway bags.

The night included an extended raffle of cookbooks, branded tote bags and socks, a Hamilton Beach blender and, finally, a crock pot. Organizers credited MUSC Boeing Children's Wellness Center and Chartwells as partners in the program. Before adjourning, staff asked attendees to complete brief taste-test surveys and said the organizers expect to run additional sessions—South Side Middle was mentioned as an upcoming site.

Organizers said they hope families will use the recipes and tips at home and that the mix of short lessons and hands-on practice will make healthy choices more accessible to children and caregivers.