ATOAH class

Diabetes is not part of your heritage. Neither is heart disease. What is in your heritage is a healthy heart, strong body, extraordinary energy, vibrant and delicious foods, and a long, healthy life.

A Taste of African HeritageA Children’s Taste of African Heritage, and A Taste of Latin American Heritage bring heritage food traditions to life through hands-on experience. This 6-week cooking curriculum teaches history, nutrition, and cooking techniques that reconnect participants with vibrant, healthy, traditional foods.

“Thank you for your amazing curriculum - A Taste of African Heritage. Our team has so appreciated the thoughtful, strengths-based approach that celebrates culture and food.”

—Teacher in Minnesota

What Are A Taste of African Heritage Classes Like?

A Taste of African Heritage (ATOAH) is a six-lesson nutrition and cooking program. Most programs run over the course of six weeks, offering one class per week. Each lesson is 1 hour and 45 minutes long, and covers a specific food group from the African Heritage Diet Pyramid.

Lesson 1: Traditional Herbs and Spices
Lesson 2: Greens
Lesson 3: Whole Grains
Lesson 4: Beans and Rice
Lesson 5: Tubers and Stews
Lesson 6: Fruits and Vegetables

  • Class schedule: 1 class per week, for 6 weeks

  • Number of recipes per class: 2–3

  • Class components: Each class is divided up into 1) an intro, 2) an historical and nutritional discussion, 3) a cooking lesson, and 4) a time to eat together and reflect. 
  • Tracking success: Using confidential lifestyle and physical health evaluations, instructors and students track their success to make sure that A Taste of African Heritage helps its participants make lasting changes for their health and wellbeing.

Learn more from our A Taste of African Hertiage Open House video below:

a taste of african heritage open house thumbnail

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What Are A Children’s Taste of African Heritage Classes Like?

A Children’s Taste of African Heritage (ACTOAH) is a seven-lesson nutrition and cooking program. Most programs run over the course of seven weeks, offering one class per week. Each lesson is 1 hour and 45 minutes long, and covers a specific food group from the African Heritage Diet Pyramid. The first lesson is a cultural introduction to the African Heritage Diet Pyramid.

Lesson 1: African Heritage
Lesson 2: Traditional Herbs and Spices
Lesson 3: Greens
Lesson 4: Whole Grains
Lesson 5: Beans and Rice
Lesson 6: Tubers and Mashes
Lesson 7: Fruits, Vegetables and a Healthy Lifestyle

  • Class schedule: 1 class per week, for 7 weeks

  • Number of recipes per class: 0–2

  • Class components: Each class is divided up into 1) an introduction, 2) an historical and nutritional discussion, 3) a cooking lesson and/or sensory activity, and 4) a time to eat together and reflect. 
  • Tracking success: Using confidential lifestyle evaluations, instructors and students track their success.

  • The latest version of the curriculum includes:

    -Common Core State Standards, so that the program can be taught in schools (grades 3-6)
    -SHAPE America Fitness standards for school physical education (grade 3-4) 

What Are A Taste of Latin American Heritage Classes Like?

A Taste of Latin American Heritage brings the Latin American Heritage Diet Pyramid to life. This healthy eating model celebrates the traditional eating patterns (or “diet”) of our ancestors, indigenous people and immigrants whose food traditions shaped the culinary landscape of the four regions of Latin America: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Participants explore the major food groups of the Pyramid while learning healthy eating habits with simple, delicious recipes based in the foods and flavors of Latin American heritage. Each lesson is based on a different plant-based food group in the culinary traditions of the various people and regions of Latin America. 

Lesson 1: Herbs and Spices

Lesson 2: Tubers

Lesson 3: Whole Grains

Lesson 4: Fruits, Vegetables, and a Healthy Lifestyle

Lesson 5: Pulses

Lesson 6: Nuts, Seeds, and Oils

Bilingual (all pages are in both English and Spanish)

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El sabor de la herencia latinoamericana da vida a la pirámide. Este modelo de alimentación saludable celebra los patrones de alimentación tradicionales (o “dieta”) de nuestros antepasados, pueblos indígenas e inmigrantes cuyas tradiciones alimentarias dieron forma al paisaje culinario de las cuatro regiones de América Latina: México, América Central, América del Sur y el Caribe. Los participantes exploran los principals grupos de alimentos de la pirámide mientras aprenden hábitos alimenticios saludables con recetas simples y deliciosas basadas en los alimentos y sabores de la herencia latinoamericana. Cada lección se basa en un grupo diferente de alimentos a base de plantas en las tradiciones culinarias de las diversas personas y regiones de Am.rica Latina.

Lección 1: Hierbas y especies

Lección 2: Tubérculos

Lección 3: Granos integrales

Lección 4: Frutas, vegetales y un estilo de vida saludable

Lección 5: Legumbres

Lección 6: Nueces, semillas y aceites

Bilingüe (todas las páginas están tanto en inglés como en español)

Who Are The Classes For?

A Taste of African Heritage is designed for people of all ages and interests, including:

  • Anyone who wants to add more flavor and nutrition to their life.
  • Anyone interested in learning more about African heritage and culinary history.
  • Friends wanting to get healthy or to start a cooking club together.
  • Teens and preteens just learning how to cook.
  • Seniors craving the foods of their childhoods and a taste of the old ways.

A Children’s Taste of African Heritage is targeted to children ages 8 to 12. Parents, guardians, and siblings are also encouraged to participate.

How Can I Attend A Class?

Check out our class site directory to locate a class near you. And if you can’t find one happening now, don’t despair! New classes are added all the time, so check back with us regularly. Or, become a teacher and bring the class to your community. 

Beginning December 1, 2021 you can take the course online at home. Our e-course gives you the experience of a class series, online, on your timeline!

Who Can Teach the Classes?

A Taste of African Heritage and A Children’s Taste of African Heritage are excellent programs to teach for anyone working in nutrition, education, food service, faith-based initiatives, community outreach work, or public health and wellness. You don’t have to be a chef or nutrition professional. Lesson plans have easily-followed, step-by-step guides for preparing and teaching.

How Do I Start Teaching?

The first step is to purchase the curriculum. There are two ways to purchase the curriculum: buy a license for 1 year of digital access, or buy hard copies of the curriculum books.

Learn about A Taste of African Heritage Cooking Classes

Licensing

Organizations interested in teaching A Taste of African HeritageA Children’s Taste of African Heritage, or A Taste of Latin American Heritage can license the curriculum on an annual basis, which will allow the licensee to download a PDF version of the curriculum and related resources.

  • Standard Single-Site License: For community health centers, SNAP-Ed providers, and other local organizations/small businesses. $300 per year per program
  • Multi-Site License: For larger national organizations, or organizations with multiple sites across multiple states. 

Contact classes@oldwayspt.org to learn more.

Purchasing the Curriculum 

Alternatively, organizations can purchase the printed adult student handbooks and teacher’s manual and children’s student handbooks and teacher’s manual in our webstore with or without a license. Please note that photocopying the printed curriculum is a violation of the copyright. The minimum order of student handbooks is 15. Classes are also encouraged to purchase the African Heritage Pyramid poster or Latin American Heritage Pyramid Poster to display in the class, and purchase or download the trifold brochures.

Can I Teach a Class Online?

Yes! Please visit our Virtual Teaching Tips page for more information.

Lessons from A Taste of African Heritage

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