Kids Can Cook TV show will film part of show on Fort Myers Beach
A handful of children will have the opportunity to appear on a cooking show to learn proper nutrition while preparing food, before heading to Fort Myers Beach to learn how to keep the waterways clean.
Sylvia Garson, who began the Kids Can Cook TV Show in 1991, kicked off the program at Martin Luther King High School. The show stemmed from wanting to stop being a corporate chef, but still wanting to cook, which turned into putting together a cooking show for children.
“I’m very dedicated to celebrating kids and food from all over the world,” she said. “We are also community based. We use the Fort Myers Beach Coast Guard (to provide a) safety on the water public announcement.”
The show will film at Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton on Sunday, March 3, before heading to the Beach Shell Inn to work with Marine Biologist Dr. Maja Mcuire.
“The Hampton Inn has been phenomenal, so forthcoming and so helpful. I can’t say enough of how great they are,” Garson said.
The show will feature children, ages 8 to 11 years old, who have made an appearance on Kids Can Cook, as well as one local girl.
“I love kids. I don’t have any. I work with kids coming out of foster care. I work with kids that are coming out of difficult circumstances,” she said. “I love seeing them smile. One time I had two foster sisters. One of the girls turned to me saying this was the best day of my life. I like to see them happy and going forward.”
The menu will include such items as barbecue, a shredded salad and ice cream, provided by Serendipity Ice Cream from New York City.
Once the food is prepared at The Hampton Inn, the kids will head to Beach Shell Inn to both enjoy the picnic lunch they prepared, as well as learn about what they can do to keep the ocean pure and free from debris.
“We are going to go down to the beach and talk about how important it is to take care of the water that surrounds us,” Garson said. “We are concentrating on the plastic, sand and the water.”
Although the show airs in New York on Manhattan cable, a special presentation will be provided at the Fort Myers Beach Library in June.
“I’m dedicating this show to Leroy Hommerding, I’m dedicating it to the beach manager,” Garson said. “I love the Fort Myers Beach Library. I love Fort Myers Beach. It is a great community. Sometimes its a second home. Sometimes it feels like a first home.”
Although she lives in New York, she uses the Fort Myers Beach Library to do a lot of her writing.
Garson puts together three or four shows a year, which she admits is very time consuming and a lot of hard work.
“It’s been really hard to raise money for the show,” she said. “We are still looking for funding.”
Garson’s mother was Russian, father Italian and stepmom from Trinidad, which made her into who she is today.
“I always wanted to make a statement and do what I can do,” which is why she focuses on various cultures of food on her show.