Nourishing Bodies and Souls

2021 promises to be a new and exciting year at Healthy New Albany. As the Nourish program thrives, we are committed to providing innovative, enriching and educational cooking experiences to the New Albany community and beyond. Embracing the words of Plato, “the beginning is the most important part of any work,” cooking and connecting people over food is at the heart of the ever evolving Nourish program at Healthy New Albany. The culinary alchemy and collaboration between the New Albany Food Pantry and Healthy New Albany began in 2018 when the pantry officially became a part of Healthy New Albany.

Sharon Dunn

Born from a spirit of genuine hospitality, Eileen Pewitt, resident NAFP cooking and education coordinator, brought our cooking program to life.

In her own words, Eileen shares her inspiration for cooking and why she believes that “food nourishes more than just the body.”

“I began work with NAFP remembering the excitement of sharing kitchen time with family and friends during various phases in my life, and longing to share that excitement, … somehow passing it on to the families right here in our community. It remains my hope that our educational efforts will benefit the community as a whole by bringing people together with a common goal: to nourish bodies and souls.”

In the pantry, our educational efforts continue to evolve. Challenged during 2020, we were able to share nutritionally sound meal basics through cooking demos, recipe ideas, food sampling and providing basic kitchen tools. In an effort to support community connection, the community kitchen cooking classes will be held monthly at HNA thus pro-

Eileen Pewitt and Sharon Dunn assisting NAPLS Senior Seminar students.

viding connection and direct local ingredients in a fastfinancial support to the food paced environment. Creativpantry as class fees are do- ity and innovation are hallnated directly to the pantry. I marks of CMR, thus enabling am happy to report that our me to have two of my own education plan continues to recipes on the CMR menus: grow and evolve and includes citrus olive oil cake at Delmar increasing our presence with- and on the seasonal menus in the NAPLS community by at both Hudson 29 locations, providing tower garden edu- and sticky toffee pudding on cation, student internships, the seasonal menus at both volunteer hours and senior Hudson 29 restaurants. I seminar advisory assistance. am thrilled to be a part of all As we continue to grow our the great things cooking at cooking education programs, Healthy New Albany!” keep an eye out for new team We’re excited to bring members. creative, innovative, mul-

Bringing new ideas and ticultural cooking endeavsweet recipes, Sharon Dunn, ors to our community, and long time New Albany resident and pastry chef, joins Eileen Pewitt we’re open to ideas and suggestions. To share ideas the HNA Nourish team. for future classes, you may

“I am thrilled to help grow and de- joined the Cameron Mitchell Restaurant reach the Nourish team at programs@ velop the Nourish program, Healthy New group and opened with them at both the healthynewalbany.org. Albany’s cooking education program for Barn at Rocky Fork and Hudson 29 New the community. Food has been a lifelong Albany. Working as a baker, prep cook passion of mine, … eating, cooking, and line cook with CMR has afforded me baking! After earning a degree in bak- the knowledge and experience to proing and pastry arts at Columbus State, I duce high quality food using fresh and Angela Douglas is executive director of Healthy New Albany. Feedback welcome at angela.douglas@ healthynewalbany.org.