Our kids have health problems and can’t perform their best in school because of the foods they are eating there. Chudney McNair is convinced of that and as an aspiring chef she’s on a mission to change it. McNair knows firsthand that what we are feeding our kids in school cafeterias is shameful — she happens to work in the cafeteria of an elementary school in Upstate New York. McNair is now driven and wants to help children through her passion for food — we now have an opportunity to help her fulfill her calling. Chudney McNair will attend the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) — “America’s best culinary school,” according to The Daily Meal in 2016 — and with the assistance of our community, she can do so, with a full tuition scholarship. McNair recently entered a competition to win the scholarship and if we all click here and vote for her, she will win! McNair is worthy of our support and I’m happy to tell you why. Chudney McNair is not only an aspiring chef but also a food blogger, wife and mother of 4. Today she lives in Upstate New York with her family but her roots go back to New Orleans’ 7th Ward. At the age of 16, she started working at Bennachin, an African restaurant in the city’s French Quarter. McNair learned to make Nigerian and Cameroonian cuisines while there (which she can still make) and began to understand how the traditional foods in New Orleans were closely related. The experience sparked her interest in learning about ethnic cuisine but her experience as a mother ignited her passion to ensure all children were eating real, healthy foods. She also fell in love with baking breads and desserts and insists that baking from scratch is much healthier and tastier than buying boxed goods. After Hurricane Katrina, McNair met her husband. He is a native of Upstate New York but went to the city after the storm to help make repairs to damaged homes. They fell in love and eventually moved back to his native Upstate. McNair and her family see farmland daily in their region. McNair and her children fell in love with agriculture and she wanted to make sure that they were exposed to different vegetables and healthy choices. It was after McNair took a job at a local school cafeteria, however, that she began to see how powerless many parents were in maintaining healthy standards for their children after sending them to school. She sees so many processed and canned foods and along with them, the dismayed faces of children who are completely unhappy with what they are being fed, daily. McNair always wanted the best for her children but now she also wants the same for every child. Our children are precious. We, as a society, should make every effort to invest in them and give them the best— And first and foremost is the food that we are feeding them. McNair is out to bring real solutions to our schools. She dreams of the day when schools buy real foods from local farms and help kids connect to agriculture and sustainability practices. McNair’s path begins with completing her culinary education and we have the power, as a community, to make that happen. She is on a mission to feed our kids real food. This wife and mother has a passion for food and would like to help others access great and healthy food choices. She deserves our support! Click HERE and vote for our sister now…. ]]>