Article by Oka Huchins

The Mount Desert Island Hospital launches its childhood obesity prevention program May 17 with a cooking class and open house for Food Revolution Day.

The MDI Hospital is thrilled to announce our first ever Food Revolution Day event, a Cooking Class & Open House at the Straus Center in Southwest Harbor. Our event kicks off our new childhood obesity prevention program designed to keep all of our island's children happy, engaged and healthy. Local chef Sam Keene will be donating his time to teach children and adults of all skill levels how to prepare a simple, delicious meal. Born and raised on an a farm in the village of Hulls Cove in Bar Harbor, Maine, Chef Keene grew up raising horses, pigs and chickens and growing garden vegetables. He and his grandfather would fish each summer and ice-fish each winter. He has cooked in Canada, Portland, ME, Boston, MA and Durham, NC. His style is rooted in classic French techniques, with an Italian attention to the simplicity and purity of fresh local ingredients.  Locally, Chef Keene has worked for numerous island restaurants including Mache Bistro, Fiddler’s Green, and Rupununi. This summer he joins Eden, Bar Harbor's only vegan restaurant. Chef Keene is most passionate about helping to connect food and community.

As a small critical access hospital on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine, the health and well being of our community is our primary concern. We are always looking for new ways to reach our community and interact in an inspiring and empowering way.
Food Revolution Day is the perfect fit for us. We are honoured to join Jaime Oliver’s well organized, timely campaign to inspire communities everywhere to take the time to create delicious, simple food from scratch—enjoy it with one another— and to share food knowledge and skills in schools, the workplace and at home.

Our Food Revolution Day Cooking Class & Open House will be held at the Straus Centre adjacent to the Community Health Centre  in SW Harbor, ME. The event begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m. There will be healthy snacks to try, recipes to bring home and activities for all ages!

We'd love to have you join us! All are welcome and donations are most appreciated, but not required. If you cannot attend, you can still donate to our cause at www.mdihospital.org, or support our cause by sharing this event on Facebook and Twitter.

WHAT: COOKING CLASS & OPEN HOUSE WHEN: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM WHERE: STRAUS CENTER, 16 Community Lane, SW Harbor, ME 04679 COST: NO DONATION REQUIRED!
Happy Food Revolution Day From all of us at MDI hospital!

About the author: Oka Hutchins works as an Advancement Assistant at the MDI Hospital. Her restaurant industry and journalism background led her to be a strong supporter of farm to table food and food education. These values found a home in the MDI Hospital community where nutrition, sustainability and community involvement are essential.