Remodeled kitchen will help Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center expand cooking classes

Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City is set to expand its nutrition education programs thanks to its recently renovated kitchen.

The nonprofit will unveil its remodeled kitchen, used for cooking classes, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at the garden and nutrition center, 2525 N Avenue.

“Thanks to the community and our generous donors, Olivewood will be able to reach many more thousands of residents in National City and the communities of South County San Diego,” said Executive Director Jen Nation. “Our new kitchen will provide more space for kids and adults to learn hands-on cooking skills, make healthy choices for their families, and increase their overall health and well-being.”

The nonprofit promotes healthy lifestyles through organic gardening and nutrition education. It has served nearly 65,000 children, adults and families since it began offering programs in 2010.

In addition to gardening classes, Olivewood offers one-time cooking lessons open to children ages 5 to 12, as well as adults.

Among its signature programs is Cooking For Salud, a seven-week bilingual course that aims to change families’ cooking and eating habits. Graduates of the program, which began in 2013, are known as “kitchenistas.”

Olivewood has been lauded as an important organization in National City, a predominately low-income and Latino community that has limited access to nutritious food and struggles with health concerns such as diabetes.

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