It was in the Garden Building that we spent over an hour each day cooking. This was particularly special for me, because I believe that food has the ability to connect families and friends. When I had the opportunity to teach the kids to prepare and eat foods that they had never seen or tried before, I felt as though I was opening their eyes to a whole new world. I remember the day they first saw pesto. They were appalled by the bright green creamy texture. Yet they threw themselves into making the dish with gusto. A little olive oil, a pinch of salt, minced garlic, a smattering of pine nuts, some sprinkles of parmesan cheese, and of course, the most necessary ingredient of all: handfuls of basil! They blended the ingredients joyously. Ed sliced the Italian bread and put it into colorful bowls across the room. Tony poured the pesto from the blender into a smaller bowl. Then came the real test: how many of them would try it? Isaiah tentatively reached for the smallest piece of bread; next, a spoon. He dabbed a tiny bit of pesto on the far corner of his piece of bread. He bit the bread with his brow furrowed, nervous that he wouldn't like the taste. All across the room, students were hesitantly doing the same. But then, the response to the pesto spread like wildfire. Smiles were all around, and hands dove for the spoon to spread more pesto on the quickly disappearing bread. We had succeeded once more in introducing a healthy, flavorful food to the kids!