All About August (Originally posted in September 2023)

Welcome to the Table! Where we keep you in the Lou'p

Quote of the month:

"All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors--in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver."

-Mr. Rogers

Meet our Founder and Executive Director: Anthony Lynch!

Anthony was born in St. Louis and has lived all over the St. Louis area, finally settling down in South City. Even with an accounting degree and an MBA, Anthony loves to cook. In fact, his teenage years and early 20’s were spent in the restaurant industry. After 6 years, he left the industry temporarily to pursue a career in accounting where he’s now been for 10 years. Accounting can be a rewarding career, but Anthony still needed a creative outlet, so in 2022 he launched his own company, Herb n Pepper. Herb n Pepper gives you all the healthy kitchen staples you need, such as nut butters and honey.

Table for Lou’s Founder- Anthony Lynch

Enough about Anthony, how did he get Table for Lou started? Well, it all started in 2018 when Anthony raised his hand to sit on the board of a nonprofit (Sudden Impact, ICU.) One program he began to participate in was the biweekly cooking class at St. Vincent’s – Home for Children. But then in 2020, the Pandemic happened, and Sudden Impact had to stop all programs.

Ring, ring! In October 2022, St. Vincent’s called up Anthony and wanted him to start teaching cooking classes again. One week later, he was back! Sadly, Sudden Impact ICU took a hit and began to dissolve, but that lead to Anthony starting Table for Lou. Since then, he’s gathered a strong diverse board made up of entrepreneurs, teachers, and corporate leaders from the St. Louis area, as well as a strong pool of dedicated volunteers to teach kids how to cook.

Today, Anthony can be found teaching class every Monday night, selling products through Herb n Pepper at various farmer’s markets on the weekends, and spending his free time reading books to his English Bulldog Jolene.

August Highlights:

Summer was winding down and most of the kids were starting to return back to school. There was definitely an excitement in the air as they gathered in class. But the excitement wasn’t just from the kids. This month, Table for Lou brought in three new talented volunteers (professional bakers we might add), to our Monday night cooking class that helped make some of the delicious menu items below.

Menu:

1. Week 1: Buffalo / BBQ Chicken Sliders – Broccoli Salad - Donuts
2. Week 2: Meat Loaf – Mashed Potatoes - Brussel Sprouts – Pudding Cups
3. Week 3: Waffles – Sausage – Scrambled Eggs – Fruit Skewers
4. Week 4: Sushi – Tofu and Rice – Rice Pudding – Mochi

Donuts made from biscuits

Our August menu hit the marks with what Table for Lou is striving for which is- KIDS:

• Knowledge- What goes in the dish?
• Introduction - Try new foods! Eat fresh foods!
• Dietetics- Eat healthy!
• Skills- Learn and then cook with confidence!
• Knowledge Menu Items: Waffles, mashed potatoes and meatloaf
  • Knowledge Tip: Simplicity! It’s the key word when cooking with kids. Learning how to do add something so simple like flour to a recipe teaches the kids that you transform a dish.
• Introduction Menu Items: Sushi and Mochi
  • Introduction Tip: Bringing in new and fresh foods to children can be a little scary, but this introducing new foods, introduces new cultures, which is a great way to make food exciting.
• Dietetics Menu Items: Broccoli Salad, brussels sprouts and fruit skewers
  • Dietetics Tip: “OH, THIS SLAPS!” Find something that can get them excited about healthy options. The broccoli salad wasn’t only a huge hit, but a huge (and healthy) win. Recipe below.
• Skills Menu Items: Chicken sliders, donuts and rice pudding
  • Skills Tip: Everyone starts at different places on their culinary journey, but simplifying and making recipes fun and exciting gets them to start somewhere.

Sushi making and rolling

Recipes:

Want to try some of our recipes at home? See our most popular items below!

Broccoli Salad (courtesy of All Recipes)

Waffles (courtesy of All Recipes)

Tip of the Month:

Getting kids to cook at home is challenging, so make it more fun. Buy your child a chef’s jacket! At St. Vincent’s, we have chef jackets for all of our kids and you can see their confidence skyrocket and they definitely have more fun.

Cardinal Numbers: Fun with numbers!

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, we need more calories in our teenage years than at any other point in our lives. Boys are recommended to eat at least 2,800 calories, while girls eat at least 2,200 calories a day. Also keep in mind that teenagers are going through a massive amount of changes which require calories. Insufficient calories make it hard to learn and focus during school.

In the city of St. Louis, just over a quarter of our kids (18 and under) are food insecure*, meaning they don’t have access to 2,200 calories a day. That’s 14,000 kids* not getting enough food to focus on school and growth during their most crucial development years. That’s almost as many animals as there are in the St. Louis Zoo (including the ants and butterflies), which according to the Zoo’s website, they have 16,000 animals. St. Louis County has 28,000 food insecure kids (13% of the child population) – combined 42k in St Louis County / City. So, keep programs like Table for Lou in mind as we continue to help feed kids where we can.

(*https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2021/child/missouri/county/st-louis-city )

Last but not least…

Table for Lou gives kids a fun activity to look forward to each week and teaches kids how to support their community. Donate today or learn how you can help volunteer by emailing:Table4Lou@gmail.com . You’ll be amazed how much help just a small amount of money provides to our community.

And don’t forget to to follow us on our social media for more updates! See you there.

Cheers!