The Food Lab at Walker Jones

Walker Jones Education Campus is a pre-K through 8th grade school, with a total of about 450 students. Located in the heart of Washington, DC, it is home to DC’s largest urban farm and the budding Food Lab at Walker Jones.

Started in 2011 as a basic culinary classroom and as an extension of the Farm at Walker Jones, the goal at the Food Lab is to work the Farm into the students’ curriculum, teaching them the basics of cooking, nutrition and healthy food relationships – and of course, having fun in the kitchen as well! The 2012 school year is the first year that the Food Lab has served as a fully functioning classroom. As the Food Lab’s blog and Facebook page reflect, it’s been an adventure already!

The Food Lab was spearheaded by volunteer and chef Kristen McCarron, whose involvement at Walker Jones began with one cooking class as a “guest chef.” Inspired to do more by the students, with the help of a few donations and dedicated faculty members, an empty classroom began developing into Walker Jones’ food lab.

“Our goal for the Food Lab at Walker Jones is to make this a full-time, real working classroom, because we believe that improving test scores and doing well in math, English and the sciences goes hand-in-hand with a healthy body,” says Kristen. “We believe that the students at Walker Jones benefit from learning to build a healthy relationship and understanding of the food we eat, where it comes from and what it can do for our bodies.”

Find out how you can be a part of the Food Lab at Walker Jones and how it is changing lives, one young chef at a time!