GAINESVILLE, Fla. — David Bearl knows a thing or two about preparing healthy meals. The guest White House chef currently helps the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences get the word out about how to eat nutritiously.

Bearl, who joined UF/IFAS in December 2012, has been an ACF certified chef for more than 30 years, and has worked with the ACF Chef and the Child Foundation for many years. His passion is healthy cooking.

“I would love to see every child receive fresh and nutritious food every day, and work to help families and school systems work towards that goal,” Bearl said.

Bearl trains program assistants in the UF/IFAS Family Nutrition Program, who then train Florida families on healthy cooking techniques. Also, he is a chef for the Farm to School and Farm to Table programs. Bearl also trains public school system employees on how to prepare nutritious meals through the Smarter Lunchrooms program.

“I love helping others understand how to feed children nutritious meals, because these students deserve to have healthy meal options during the school day,” Bearl said. According to the Florida Department of Education, in 2013 more than 59 percent of Florida students qualified for free or reduced lunch at school.

For parents who pack their children’s lunches, Bearl suggests packaging fruits and vegetables to make them more attractive. And, he said, parents should avoid processed foods.

“The biggest mistake I see parents make is that they use a lot of processed foods and they are not cooking enough fresh foods,” Bearl said. “In their defense, some parent don’t have the resources to provide nutritious meals, or they live in a food desert where healthy foods are not available.”

Bearl vows to continue promoting healthy eating across the state. Besides demonstrations on healthy lunches, the chef is the administrator for two culinary programs: the SMA Behavioral Health Services Inc.’s Reality House Culinary Arts Program in Daytona Beach, Florida and the SMA Vince Carter Sanctuary – Project WARM (Women Assisting Recovering Mothers) in Bunnell, Florida.

At WARM, the culinary arts program brings women out to the farms and into the kitchen to learn how to cook nutritiously. “My goal is to spread the gospel of healthy eating,” Bearl said.

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By: Beverly James, 352-273-3566, beverlymjames@ufl.edu

Source: David Bearl, 904-669-1340

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