Vetri Community Partnership is thrilled to have fostered a partnership with Chef Ariq Barrett, Founder of Kidz Meals on Wheels and Black Kids Can Cook, bringing both of our programs together with a shared goal.

Chef Ariq started Kidz Meals on Wheels, along with continuing his summer program Black Kids Can Cook, in the height of the pandemic as a way to combat hunger and provide healthy meals to kids and families across Philadelphia. Kidz Meals on Wheels is now a permanent non-profit run by Chef Ariq and his team.

With shared missions in mind, together we have collaborated with Kidz Meals on Wheels on workshops, cooking demos and events. Our Mobile Teaching Kitchen team has attended Chef Ariq’s after school programs and summer camp to bring more culinary and nutrition education to his program members and their families.

On March 16th of this year, our team attended Kidz Meals on Wheels after school program at The Beckett Life Center, where our educators demonstrated a lesson on spices and measuring, and showing the kids all about how to use different measuring tools when cooking. Together, they also cooked up popcorn seasoned with our Barbecue Blast seasoning.

More recently, we joined Chef Ariq and his Kidz Meals on Wheels summer program for a lesson on knife safety, chopping methods, reading measurements and following a step-by-step recipe. Campers worked together to make a tasty Vegetable Fritatta that they couldn’t wait to taste and show off!

We are looking forward to many more future classes and programs alongside Chef Ariq and Kidz Meals on Wheels.