Chef Kelly Liken Expands Sowing Seeds & Goes Back To Camp-summer 2012

Celebrity chef, Kelly Liken, who owns her eponymous restaurant in Vail, CO., and has appeared on Bravo's Top Chef D.C. Season 7, and the Food Network's Iron Chef America, is returning to "Sowing Seeds" camp this summer for both week-long and three-day sessions from June-August 2012 and taking place at participating schools throughout Vail Valley CO. Together with the Vail Valley Youth Foundation, the year-round enrichment program at Brush Creek and Edwards Elementary Schools has announced its expansion to June Creek Elementary. The Sowing Seeds summer day camp series is offered for children ages 4-12 and has served as a gateway for students to learn about the importance of nutrition in their everyday lives, make smart food choices and discover the origins of their food with a series of fun and interactive classes and workshops.

Since its inception in 2010, Kelly has worked closely with Sowing Seeds Director Sandy Story to develop this program at her local neighborhood Brush Creek Elementary School (K-5) in Eagle, CO. The program offers children an opportunity to learn about the importance of nutrition and the food cycle within our natural environment. "This is truly a family and community affair. One that I am very proud to say came together organically out of need and the desire to educate the kids of our community," Liken says.

Throughout the year, the Sowing Seeds program maintains and operates an edible schoolyard greenhouse with the students of Brush Creek Elementary and a raised garden at Edwards Elementary, where students plant and care for their own gardens. The program integrates curriculum based lessons and cafeteria menu planning within a classroom setting. This year, Liken continues to expand their efforts at Edwards Elementary and is building out an indoor greenhouse to support the outdoor garden and classroom sessions. All of the school cafeterias have a fully integrated "Scratch Cooking" program with daily menus that features whole grains and a fresh fruit and veggie bar at all participating schools. Additionally, June Creek Elementary will incorporate classroom lessons to their curriculum with the start of the Fall 2012 school year. Sowing Seeds, together with the support of the community through donations and fundraisers throughout the year, is continuing to work towards their goal of raising enough funds to build out a rooftop garden at June Creek within the next school year.

The summer camp portion of the Sowing Seeds program not only connects children to their environment, but also fosters an understanding of the origin of food and teaches responsibility through stimulating hands-on sessions. Each will focus on the investigation of the natural world and include interactive lessons such as harvesting, garden caretaking, the study of soil composition, vegetative propagation, cooking and recipe creation, and garden crafting. Sowing Seeds Director, Sandy Story, coordinates instruction together with Liken. "We make it fun for the kids to get inspired by harvesting and getting their hands dirty, all the while they are also learning important lessons about the life cycle of water, soil, composting, and more," says Story. "We offer a schedule of activities and guide the kids toward each, but ultimately, they decide together what the moment calls for and we go for it. It's exciting to see their imagination ultimately dictate what we will do for the day, whether it's spending time with farm animals, harvesting and eating the vegetables, making soap, or watering the garden."

The 2012 Sowing Seeds day camp sessions are organized by age group with children ages 4-7 invited to attend the Garden Sprouts program ($90 per child) with a maximum of 8 per session. Students ages 8-12 can participate in the Garden Stewards