Tasty tutorial: Students teach scouts tricks for healthy eating

SUU students had the opportunity to reach out to the community Tuesday by preparing several dishes with the Cedar City Boy Scouts.

Throughout the semester, students enrolled in the Hotel, Resort and Hospitality Management 4700 class have been planning and preparing an event for the boy scouts.

As a part of their final project students had the opportunity to teach 8, 9 and 10-year-old boys about healthy eating habits and good nutritional food choices," said Greg Watson, a senior criminal justice major from Las Vegas.

"We have been prepping for this activity all semester to figure out what we were going to make for them, and the best dishes to create for them that would help them learn best," he said.

Loren Murilillo, a junior hotel, resort and hospitality management major from San Diego, said the room was set up in a pyramid form along with colors from each of the food groups.

This project was a beneficial learning experience for the scouts, Murilillo said. By learning to prepare a meal and compiling recipes, they were able to earn a merit badge.

"We were trying to help these cub scouts earn their merit badges," she said. "For our preparation, we had to do a little bit of research on the food pyramid so we could inform them, but I really think that interaction helped them to learn."

Spencer Longhurst, an 8-year-old boy scout, said the scouts learned about the food groups and the nutritional value of different foods.

"They taught us how to make food and about the food groups," he said. "The food groups are important so you can make good choices, so you don't get fat and that you eat healthy."

Chet Higby, an 8-year-old scout, said the scouts were also able to help prepare the meals and have hands-on experience.

"My favorite part was making the food," he said. "We put cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on a stick."

Kyle Cameron, a sophomore hotel, resort and hospitality management major from Fort

Lauderdale, Fla., said they spent a sufficient amount of time cutting vegetables and fruits, and making sure all the food would be ready to eat.

To make this event happen, the students had to apply for a service-and-learning grant to fund the event, said Lisa Assante, assistant professor of hotel, resort & hospitality managment.

"My students applied for a service-and-learning grant, and were given the grant for this activity," she said. "They were required to teach the participants. Overall the event went great and my students did a great job. The cub scouts,I think, really enjoyed it and participated a lot more than I thought they would."