Celebrity chefs teach healthy cooking in to help fight food deserts

By CNN Newsource

Published October 15, 2024 6:05 PM

By Bo Evans

NORTH TEXAS (KTVT) — Eating right is difficult, but it can be even more of a challenge in food desert communities.

Recently, Baylor Scott and White brought in two celebrity chefs to South Dallas to help give them the tools to cook healthy meals at home.

“I like to call it, stealth health, I like people eating healthy without even knowing it,” said chef Stephan Baity.

You may have seen Baity on the Food Network but at this moment, he and his friend chef Darin Leonardson are in South Dallas, putting a new spin on some familiar dinner staples.

People like Gale Birdow who has lived in south Dallas for 32 years attended to learn how to make healthier food at home.

“I’ve seen a lot of healthy cooking, a lot of interesting stories from the chefs,” said Birdow.

Baity is making low-sodium mac n cheese while Leonardson is showing the group how to make his signature vegetable spring roll. They want to give the group realistic options on how to eat healthier.

“People need options. So it’s not enough to say eat healthy, be healthy, right? It’s that people need tools in their tool kit,” said Baity.

He says his passion is teaching people new ways to cook great, healthy food—more veggies, less carbs.

“They only know what they know, so with that being said, you have to break the cycle,” he said.

Fresh vegetables are often hard to find in food deserts. Oftentimes, canned and frozen veggies are what’s available.

“They showed us different things that we can use in place of other things, like the zucchini and squash in place of the noodles and pastas,” said Baity

Just a few more tools in Birdow’s toolbox. Tools that can help her and others eat more vegetables and less salt and sugar.

“It’s not about not having the options; it’s more about how to use them,” said Birdow.

But the most important question is: how does it taste?

“Great, great, surprisingly great,” said Birdow.

Great tasting food that’s good for you.

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