As the host of the California Farm to School Network, the California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) helps raise the next generation of California agriculture leaders. This year, through Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, CDFA-F2F hosted a series of four student field trips, providing opportunities for culinary students to harvest their own produce from the field, speak directly with farmers and practice culinary skills with the highest quality ingredients. For many students, these experiences will be the spark that starts a lifelong relationship with California produce and the people who grow it.

As the final field trip in the specialty crop farm tour series, high school culinary students from the San Diego area had the opportunity to visit Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, where they toured, tasted and taught their way through a Summer Chef’s Camp. Students participating in camp experienced many new foods, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots, all of which they harvested from the premises themselves.

While many students experienced these products for the first time, others flexed their culinary muscles and helped teach other students through peer-to-peer coaching.

Stay tuned for more updates on the California Farm to School movement in the future.

– CDFA Farm to Fork Staff

This article is part of a series chronicling the CDFA Office of Farm to Fork’s student farm tours. Made possible by Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, these farm tours aim to increase students’ knowledge of and appreciation for California specialty crops through direct interaction with local specialty crop farmers.