Written by Minette Chan, Vivian Chang
Translated by
Edited by Andrew Larracuente
The East Palo Alto community in Northern California houses many economically disadvantaged immigrant populations. Compared to its neighboring cities, East Palo Alto has higher rates of childhood obesity, heart attacks, and diabetes–which are commonly linked to poor diet. To help provide food to families in the community, Tzu Chi volunteers in the past few years have collaborated with the Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute fresh produce and groceries on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at Costano Elementary School in East Palo Alto. It was during these food distribution events earlier this year that volunteer Ricardo Tejada observed how a number of food bank recipients faced visible challenges related to weight and healthy meal preparation. This inspired him to explore ways to not only provide food but also to educate them on how to enjoy healthy and delicious vegetarian meals at home.
I see them as my family, and it pains me to see them harming themselves with poor eating habits. I feel a responsibility to help them.
Coincidentally, Tzu Chi volunteer Michelle Wong, who regularly participates in the medical outreach and food distribution programs in East Palo Alto, shared similar observations. Over the years, Michelle has handled many Tzu Chi cases with families who struggled with financial difficulties due to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or other nutrition-related diseases. She wondered, “What can we do to help prevent these diseases in the first place?” From that seed of thought, the gradual development of a Healthy Eating nutrition program began early this year in East Palo Alto. Over the following months, the Tzu Chi planning team led by Ricardo and Michelle worked on the project. In April 2024, Tzu Chi held a pilot event with a plant-based cooking class for local families to better understand the needs of the community. The response was overwhelmingly positive. As a result, the program officially started in the summer of 2024, in the month of June.
The participants predominantly comprised Latino families, so the classes needed to be conducted in both Spanish and English. Fortunately, in addition to his cooking skills and passion for healthy living, Ricardo is also fluent in both languages and has successfully led bilingual sessions every month.
From Dietary Decisions to Holistic Wellness
This series of classes takes place once a month, beginning in June. On October 12, 2024, the fifth session was held. Despite the limited classroom space, 13 families attended, filling the room to capacity. As the pan full of broccoli slowly simmered, instructor Ricardo Tejado led the class in a discussion on nutrition. Because trust has developed among participants over the summer, students openly shared their family health histories, revealing that many of their relatives suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol issues. Ricardo emphasized how these diseases can largely be prevented through proper diet and reminded everyone of the importance of reducing sugar and refined carbohydrates in their daily diet while increasing their vegetable intake, especially the vegetables featured in the class’s demonstrated recipes.
This program not only focused on cooking but also emphasized overall health, covering nutrition, balanced diets, exercise, sleep, stress management, and other aspects of physical and mental well-being.
A Journey of Friendship and Learning
After several sessions together, participants became more familiar and formed friendships with each other. They even created a social media group to stay connected and share photos and recipes. The healthy eating course has now been named “Sabores del Corazon,” meaning “Flavors of the Heart.” The name was suggested by volunteer Tiffany Liu: “Because Dharma Master Cheng Yen teaches us that we must lead with our hearts.” This name connects Tzu Chi volunteers’ emotional and cultural ties to food, emphasizing that these recipes are not only healthy but are made with compassion, embracing all living beings with a heart of kindness.
Participants enthusiastically engaged in discussions and sharing during the class. Photo/Wyant Chan
Teresa Castro, a mother of four, shared: “I love the sense of unity in this class. Gathering together motivates me to eat healthier and lose weight.” She admitted that she wasn’t used to eating vegetarian food because her family is accustomed to eating large amounts of meat to feel full, but through the Sabores del Corazon program, she has become willing to try and change.
I’ve learned how to cook vegetables and make them taste really good. It’s not easy, but I’m learning!
From Ingredient Selection to Nutritional Knowledge
This is not an ordinary cooking class. Preparation for the course not only involves selecting the recipes to demonstrate but also testing them at home to ensure they taste great. To make the recipes more practical for the participants, Ricardo would go to local supermarkets where the residents frequently shop, such as Grocery Outlet and Costco, to purchase ingredients.
Additionally, Tzu Chi volunteers research the history and health benefits of each ingredient to further educate participants to incorporate more vegetables into their daily diets. “Do you know that broccoli has more protein per calorie than meat?” asked Ricardo to the class as the students shook their heads in surprise. Therefore, in addition to teaching recipes and cooking techniques, the program explains why plant-based meals are beneficial to one’s health and how participants can readily use these ingredients from the food bank or purchase required ingredients at reasonable prices in their neighborhood, helping them adopt and apply their newfound knowledge to everyday life.
Parent-Child Learning Inspires Passion for Cooking
Most of the participants are mothers who need to cook for their children, but there are also some single fathers, as well as children from preschool to high school who attend classes with their parents.
One participant is 10-year-old Sophia Perez, a fifth grader who has attended the course several times and wanted to join her mother in learning how to cook. She took careful notes in class and mentioned that, after attending the previous month’s class where they learned to make “One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice,” she was inspired to try the recipe at home. Sophia, together with her grandmother, attempted cooking tofu for the first time, and they absolutely loved the meal they had prepared.
Cross-Cultural Culinary Experience
Many Latino and African-American participants were unfamiliar with Asian ingredients such as tofu, kimchi, and sesame oil. Hermelinda Echevarria shared that in most Mexican households, tortillas, meat, and soda are common staples, but because of Tzu Chi’s Sabores del Corazon program, she was inspired to replace meat with tofu and broccoli to meet her protein needs.
Participant Hermelinda Echevarria said, “In Mexico, a typical breakfast is beans, eggs, and cheese, along with a Coke or coffee. But they don’t teach you about high-quality food that’s good for babies or adults… When a baby is small, they say, ‘This child needs to eat more,’ because being ‘gordito,’ or a little chubby, is considered cute… We don’t know how to eat right, but after these lessons, I want to buy the ingredients taught in class. As parents, it’s amazing to approach different cultures and foods with an open mind, allowing our kids to experience them as well.”
A father, Francisco Bustamante, shared his experience from the July session where they made Buddha Quinoa Breakfast Bowls:
“I was actually surprised that my daughter liked it because, at first, she said, ‘Dad, can I just have a little bit?’ But after one bite, she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I love it!’ and then went to get a full plate. That was incredible for me, and the dish is so healthy.”
This taught her that there are other foods to try and explore. Today, she discovered quinoa and kale, and I think that’s an amazing experience.
Elizabeth Jones, who attended with her three daughters, said: “We found out about this program when we came to pick up supplies at Tzu Chi’s Back-to-School event, and now we’re participating. I was expecting to learn healthy cooking, and we really did. I learned some new ways to cook with tofu.”
Elizabeth’s 5-year-old daughter Serenity helped during the class demonstration, and she said, “I love this food; it’s so yummy!” Her favorite was the broccoli.
I’ve never cooked tofu before; this is my first time, and now I want to try it at home. For example, I’d like to use different seasonings from my own culture, like Cajun seasoning, instead of Asian flavors.
High-school-aged participants shared that they usually have cereal, bagels, or tortillas for breakfast, or sometimes skip it altogether. Fifteen-year-old Giselle said, “I enjoyed the presentation of the food and learning about its history. I also liked learning how to cook because I had no idea how to make tofu.” She also plans to change her breakfast habits by reducing how often she eats cereal in the morning.
Great Love and Giving Back
Through the love and patience of the volunteers, the spark of Great Love has been ignited in this course. During the October 12 class, several members from the 13 families have now become volunteers for food distribution, and even more have expressed interest in helping with the community food distribution program. Inspired by the course, they want to contribute and give back to their community.
Recipe demonstrated in the class:
Class 1 (June):
Summer’s Creamy Asparagus Pasta with Peas, Lemon and Mint
Class 2 (July):
Buddha Quinoa Breakfast Bowl (with kale, corn, black beans, and avocado)
Class 3 (August):
One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice (with tofu, sesame oil, and almond butter)
Class 4 (Sept):
Green Coconut Curry with Rice (includes spinach, tahini, and chickpeas)
Class 5 (Oct):
Easy Korean Meatless Bulgogi and Broccoli Noodles
