Blue Watermelon Project

This month, Chef in the Garden learners get to prepare and taste Chef Eugenia Theodosopoulos’s Buckwheat Chocolate Pancakes 🥞 A delicious dish using buckwheat flour - a wonderful way to add more nutrients to a breakfast staple and topping with honey and fresh strawberries and banana, creating a perfectly sweet breakfast treat! 🍓 Chef Eugenia’s love and respect for food and baking began at age 13 while working in her father’s restaurant - a legendary Ohio eatery established in 1931 that is still owned and operated by the Theodosopoulos family today! After college, Eugenia moved to France where she studied and worked at the renowned Ecole Lenôtre Paris before establishing her own Parisian cooking and catering company. In 1994, Eugenia and her French husband, Gilles, launched Essence Catering in Phoenix. In 2007, they opened Essence Bakery Cafe which specializes in French pastries, breads and organic breakfast and lunch. After 9 months in business, it was named Best New Restaurant for the pastries and food. In 2011, Eugenia was awarded Pastry Chef Extraordinaire and inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. Chef Eugenia supports several philanthropies throughout the community, speaks fluent French, is proficient in Spanish and is learning Greek! Thank you so much Chef Eugenia @essencebakery for sharing your knowledge, passion and skills with our students 😊 #chefinthegardenaz #arizonagrown

We wrapped up April with a hands-on culinary skills workshop led by Chef Tamara Stanger @tamara_stanger and Sous Chef Alec Stoneburner @stoneburneraz . During this interactive session, attendees learned essential knife techniques and efficient ways to break down farm-fresh produce for use in school cafeterias. Participants also prepared four recipes designed to introduce students to vegetables in fun and delicious ways 🥕🧅🍠 Recipes included fresh pico with apple, roasted romanesco with Peruvian green sauce, jicama fries with sazon spice, and local rainbow carrots with corn cream. Feedback from attendees showed all enjoyed this interactive workshop and gained valuable skills including sharpening your knife, cutting without waste, and a variety of knife cut methods to implement in their school kitchens. Thank you to all who attended!

Happy May! 🌸 This month, Chef in the Garden learners explore all about buckwheat. Although it has “wheat” in the name, buckwheat is not wheat and doesn’t contain gluten. It is a seed from a leafy plant closely related to rhubarb and sorrel. As it grows, buckwheat produces flowers that are very fragrant and attract honeybees. Buckwheat seeds can be eaten whole, or they can be ground into flour for pancakes, noodles and bread. Buckwheat contains plant protein, is fiber-rich and can support our gut and heart health. Buckwheat will grow rapidly and can be harvested in about 90 days. 🌱 Pro planting tip: Cut the plants near the ground and let the cut plants dry out on a tarp for a few days before collecting seeds. Thank you @megliljenquist for this month’s coloring page! 🎨 Grab a copy with the link in our bio. Adapted from DIY Fagopyrum Esculentum Facts for Kids, Cleveland Clinic Buckwheat Benefits, & Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Buckwheat Production: Harvesting #chefinthegardenaz #arizonagrown

April was filled with so much learning and growing 🌱 We explored all about amaranth through Chef Noelle’s Fruit & Butter Amaranth Porridge @thegregoryschool and planting education from Gardener Kelly @therovervine ! We celebrate the wonderful culinary and garden experiences this month brought our Chef in the Garden students. Here is what a few learners had to say about the recipe ⬇️ ✨ “I can’t wait to make this at home” -student at Edison School of Innovation ✨ “This is bus’in!” & “200 billion out of ten stars!” -students at Tully Magnet ✨ “Fun process in making it” & “I would try this again!” -students at Barcelona Elementary #chefinthegardenaz #arizonagrown

This month, we’re celebrating Gardener Kelly Hedberg! 🌱 Students have been learning her go-to tips and tricks for planting amaranth in their school gardens - an incredible crop that thrives in our desert heat. Don’t let those tiny seeds fool you… amaranth can grow up to 5-8 feet tall! Plant it, water it, and watch the magic happen. ✨ Kelly is an outdoor educator with over 16 years of experience teaching in gardens and natural spaces across Phoenix. Her journey began at the Desert Botanical Garden, where she developed a deep love for the Sonoran Desert and a passion for helping young people connect with the natural world. She went on to lead after-school garden programs (DIG IT! Outdoors) in community gardens, Montessori, and public schools. Since 2019, Kelly has served as the Garden Integration Specialist at Rover Elementary in Tempe, where she helps bring their garden -The Rover Vine- to life. There, she empowers both students and educators to grow, harvest, and cook with fresh ingredients, from edible flowers to herbs and vegetables. 🌼🥕 Kelly is also part of the amazing team @therovervine @rover_elementary implementing the Chef in the Garden program on campus, inspiring hands-on learning every day. We’re so grateful for her dedication, passion, and the joy she brings to outdoor education. Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your knowledge with our Chef in the Garden learners! #chefinthegardenaz #arizonagrown

Applications for the 2026–2027 Chef in the Garden program are only open for 2 MORE DAYS! 🌱 Join schools across Arizona in bringing hands-on garden and culinary experiences to life, helping students build healthier, more meaningful relationships with food. And this next year is extra special…Blue Watermelon Project is celebrating 10 YEARS!✨ Come be part of a milestone season and grow something incredible with us. 🗓 Applications close April 22 at 8pm MST - don’t miss your chance! 🔗 Apply now through the link in our bio or visit: bluewatermelonproject.org/chef-in-the-garden-application #chefinthegardenaz

Chef in the Garden learners are whipping up Chef Noelle’s Fruit & Butter Amaranth Porridge ✨ This cozy, nourishing dish features cooked amaranth, warm green apples sautéed with butter + cinnamon, fresh strawberries, and a drizzle of honey topped with crunchy pepitas 🍓🍯 Along the way, students are building real culinary skills - like how to measure wet vs. dry ingredients for recipe success. From spooning and leveling dry ingredients like amaranth (never packing!) to reading the meniscus in a liquid measuring cup at eye level for wet ingredients, these small techniques make a big difference. Curious to try it at home? Grab the recipe and watch this month’s video with Chef Noelle + Gardener Kelly on our website under “Resources,” or tap the link in our bio to head to our YouTube channel 🎥 Happy cooking! 👩‍🍳 #chefinthegardenaz

We know this time of year is full for educators, so we’re giving you a little more time 💙 Applications for our 2026-2027 Chef in the Garden Program are now open through Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day 🌎) 8pm MST! We’re excited to welcome schools across Arizona next year as we bring hands-on garden and culinary experiences to students - fostering skills, deepening engagement, and building healthier, more meaningful relationships with food. 🥕 And this next year is extra special...Blue Watermelon Project is celebrating 10 YEARS! 🎉 Come be part of a milestone season and grow something incredible with us. Apply now through the link in our bio or visit: bluewatermeloneproject.org/chef-in-the-garden-application #chefinthegardenaz

The garden is… gardening! 👩‍🌾 🍇 Hello Tomatoes and new grape trellis! 🍅 @bluewatermelonproject

We love how impactful Chef in the Garden experiences can be in the lives of students. 💙 We are so grateful for educators, like Janet, who continue to go above and beyond to deliver this education and hands-on learning through our program. We couldn’t do this work without your partnership! Applications are still open for the 2026–2027 Chef in the Garden program! Join schools across Arizona in bringing hands-on garden and culinary experiences to life, helping students build healthier, more meaningful relationships with food. 🗓 5 DAYS LEFT! Applications close April 17 at 8PM MST - don’t miss your chance! 🔗 Apply now through the link in our bio or visit: bluewatermelonproject.org/chef-in-the-garden-application #chefinthegardenaz

Join us for the next installation in our School Food Workshop series, “A Cut Above: Bringing the Best of the Farm to the Tray Through Essential Knife Skills,” coming up on Wednesday, April 29th from 2:30-4:30pm at Ignite Foodservice Solutions. 🍽️ Join us in-person at Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix, registration will be limited to 25. *We invite up to 5 attendees per district to attend this workshop. This interactive culinary skills workshop is designed to build confidence in school kitchens by turning fresh, local ingredients into simple, student-friendly menu items. Led by Chef Tamara @tamara_stanger , this hands-on session bridges the gap between farm-fresh and easy-to-eat with practical skills you can use right away. 🥕🥦 ▪️Live demo followed by hands-on practice ▪️Tips for working with whole, local produce without overwhelm ▪️Practical approaches for different prep times ▪️Guidance on communicating with farmers and sourcing for your needs Learn more at bluewatermelonproject.org/school-food-workshop or click the link in our bio to register. We hope to see you there! 😁

This month, Chef in the Garden learners get to prepare and taste Chef Noelle Zablosky’s Fruit & Butter Amaranth Porridge! 🥣 A delicious and cozy dish made with cooked amaranth, softened green apples with butter & cinnamon, fresh strawberries, topped with honey and pepitas. A beautiful contrast of colors, complimentary flavors and textures all in one bite 🍏🍓 Chef Noelle is the Food Service Director at The Gregory School @thegregoryschool in Tucson, Arizona, where she is also a Site Director with our Chef in the Garden program cooking and gardening with students! She is a former Food Service Director at Aspen Country Day School in Aspen, Colorado, where she also spent time as a Pastry Chef at The Little Nell. Chef Noelle graduated from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu in 2006, and got her Bachelor’s in Nutrition from ASU in 2013. She currently lives in Tucson with her two teenage sons, is an avid hiker and adventurer, and loves cheese! Thank you so much Chef Noelle @noellezablosky for sharing your knowledge and passion for cooking with our students! ☺️ #chefinthegardenaz #arizonagrown