Making Guacamole!
The students at PS 132 in Washington Heights, under the direction of Spoons Project Leader Hope Mirlis, just completed the 8th annual Dinner Party Project collaboration with UBS and Gracie Mansion. Volunteers from UBS Event Marketing Department, led by Lynn Duffy and Natalie Law, worked with students in two 5th grade classrooms creating invitations and festive centerpieces, along with engaging lessons on healthy behaviors and nutrition. These include a hands-on demonstration of the actual amount of sugar in their favorite sodas and “juices”. (About 20 teaspoons in a 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew!) Mercedes Nunez from Gracie Mansion visited to teach the kids about fresh herbs and led the students in planting purple basil and thyme for decorations at the party. And once again, Gracie Mansion Executive Chef Feliberto Estévez and his team visited to teach the students to make his “#1 Guacamole in the World” which they recreated at the party at Gracie Mansion on the May 31st.
The party was attended by Spoons staff, Board members, and special guests, but the real stars of the night were the students and their families. They participated in the annual “salad parade” serving flawlessly at each table, and then sat down to enjoy a meal of grilled chicken and shrimp with pineapple salsa with their families. In between dinner and a dessert of flan and homemade cookies
, students, teachers, mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends of Spoons took a turn on the dance floor to the sounds of Clave Azul, the wonderful band from IS 143. Thank you again to the Julia Child Foundation and The Gracie Mansion Conservancy for their support of this project. We also are indebted to all our volunteers including the City Tech Spoons Club and UBS Eventing Marketing for their tireless work. We couldn’t do it without you!
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- Making Invitations
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- Planting Herbs for Centerpieces
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- Setting a Festive Table
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- Setting the Table
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- Smelling the herbs that we grew ourselves!
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- Setting the tables at Gracie Mansion!
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- A beautifully set table!
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- Getting Ready to Cook!
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- Don’t forget the gloves!
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- Getting the hat just right!
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- Everyone works together to make guacamole for this crowd!
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- Spoons Board Member Richard Mandell arrives
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- It’s important to make sure it tastes good!
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- “I think it needs one more thing…”
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- We couldn’t do it without our City Tech Volunteers!
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- Hard work calls for something cool to drink!
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- The Salad Parade Begins!
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- Escorting family to the party
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- Enjoying some fruit on the porch of Gracie Mansion
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- Enjoying dinner with family is the best part!
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- Spoons Programs Director, Stacey Ornstein with TDPP Program Leader, Hope Mirlis
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- PS 132 speech makers with Board President Jeff Bank and Chef Filli
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- Spoons founder, Julia Jordan with Advisory Board member, Marion Nestle
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- The Dinner Party Team!
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- Spoons staff, board and supporters
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- Spoons founder Julia Jordan and Gracie Mansion Chef, Jose Velasquez
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- Spoons Board President Jeff Bank and Gracie Mansion Executive Chef, Feliberto Estevez
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- Spoons staff members with Freya Clibanksy from the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance
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- Spoons Advisory Board Members Diane Harris Brown and Bill Yosses
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- Spoons Board Member Lynda Dias with Chef Filli
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- We couldn’t do it without help from City Tech’s Spoons Club
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- The Clave Azul Band from IS
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- Some of our volunteers from UBS
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- The day wouldn’t be complete without a tour of Gracie Mansion!
