Emeril Lagasse Foundation is expanding its national investment in youth education and nutrition with the selection of Larkdale Elementary School in Lauderhill, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, as its newest partner for Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen.
Larkdale Elementary, part of the Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) district, will become the ninth school in the country to implement the Foundation’s signature program, an immersive model that brings together gardening, nutrition, and hands-on culinary education to transform how students learn about food and health.
The program is built on four core pillars: helping students understand where food comes from, developing life skills through immersive learning, teaching the importance of nutrition and healthy eating, and building culinary skills that foster confidence and independence. Expansion into Florida marks an important step in increasing access to hands-on culinary and nutrition education opportunities nationwide.
“My wife Alden and I have always believed food can open doors for young people in many ways,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse, chairman and co-founder of Emeril Lagasse Foundation. “We’re proud to expand this work into Florida through our partnership with Larkdale Elementary, giving students new opportunities to build confidence, curiosity, and lifelong healthy habits.”
The need for programs like Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen continues to grow as greater emphasis is placed on childhood nutrition, access to healthy food, and preventative healthcare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 1 in 10 children in the United States consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, and childhood obesity affects nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children. In response, the Foundation’s signature program delivered 5,126 cooking, gardening, and nutrition lessons nationwide and supported schools in engaging families through 210 food-centered community events during the 2025-2026 school year.
“This partnership creates meaningful new opportunities for students at Larkdale Elementary,” said James A. Knapp, president & CEO of Broward Education Foundation. “Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen will give our students hands-on experiences that strengthen life skills, encourage healthier habits, and create meaningful connections between learning and everyday life.”
Larkdale Elementary serves approximately 424 students, with more than 96% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school community faces ongoing barriers to food security and access to fresh, nutritious food. Despite these challenges, Larkdale has continued investing in experiential learning opportunities designed to strengthen both academic outcomes and student wellness, while revitalizing its garden program to support STEM instruction, environmental stewardship, and experiential learning.
Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen represents the next step in Larkdale’s long-term vision, transforming the school’s existing spaces into a fully integrated garden-to-table learning environment where students can take ownership of the very food that strengthens them while also fostering connection to science, nutrition, wellness, and life skills.
“Programs like Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen help schools become stronger centers for learning and connection,” said Dr. Howard Hepburn, superintendent of Broward County Public Schools. “We are proud to provide a new opportunity that allows students to engage with education in such impactful ways.”
The expansion of Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen to South Florida was made possible through a multi-year grant from the Humana Foundation. Beyond bringing the program to more students, the partnership will support a multi-year evaluation designed to better understand how immersive food education can improve nutrition knowledge, increase vegetable consumption, and foster lifelong healthy habits. The findings will help guide future growth of the program and strengthen the evidence supporting school-based nutrition education.
“At the Humana Foundation, we believe healthier communities start with healthy children and families,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “We’re proud to support the expansion of Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen and the opportunities it creates for students to learn, grow, and build healthy habits that can last a lifetime. We’re also excited to help deepen our understanding of how hands-on food education can strengthen nutrition knowledge, encourage healthier choices, and help children thrive.”
School partners awarded an Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen grant receive $500,000, the Foundation’s unique curriculum, more than 100 of Chef Emeril’s recipes adapted for the classroom, gardening, and cooking education best practices, teaching materials including small-ware cooking equipment, food supplies for nutrition-focused lessons, and robust teacher training.
Construction of Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen at Larkdale Elementary will take place over the next several months, with an estimated completion date of February 2027. Teachers are expected to begin instruction of the program curriculum at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.