Fresh from the garden: Franciscan Health, Purdue Extension and Duneland Health Council partner on healthy cooking classes

Residents of the city’s Eastport neighborhood enjoyed the first lesson in a series of healthy cooking classes using ingredients grown in the Walker Park Community Garden.
The inaugural class on June 20 was taught at the garden by Chef Erik Tannehill, who demonstrated the preparation of pesto veggie pasta with chicken. The demonstration used a new mobile kitchen facility purchased by the Franciscan Health Foundation with a $5,000 grant from the Duneland Health Council.
The cooking class is an outgrowth of the Walker Park Community Garden that is a joint effort of Franciscan Health Michigan City and Purdue Extension, and is also funded by a community development block grant through Michigan City. Land for the 24-bed garden, which includes 12 U-pick beds for residents, along with individual family beds, is donated by the Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department.
In the future, Franciscan hopes to partner with other organizations to provide the mobile kitchen for other educational programs with a focus on healthy eating.