At Access to Fresh, we believe food is more than fuel—it’s a bridge. It connects us to our health, our neighbors, and our shared future. That’s why I’m so excited to share how our latest partnership is bringing this vision to life in Pasco County.
This fall, we’re supporting a pilot program that truly embodies what it means to #buildcommunitythroughfood. Thanks to the vision and dedication of Aimee Schlitt from UF/IFAS Pasco Extension and Sammy Ortiz, founder of Young Entrepreneurial Students (Y•E•S), the Culinary Co-Op will offer local high school students a 15-week workshop blending culinary skills, entrepreneurship, and food literacy.
Why This Matters
Students will spend time in both the kitchen and classroom, learning how to grow, prepare, and cook nutritious food—while also gaining hands-on experience in business basics. The program will highlight nutrient density, helping students understand not only what to eat, but why it matters.
Access to Fresh will provide fresh, local produce each week while teaching students how to identify seasonal ingredients and prepare unique foods that nourish both body and soul. Because food grown in healthy soil, sourced with intention, and made with love doesn’t just fuel us—it heals us.
The People Behind the Movement
- Aimee Schlitt (UF/IFAS Pasco Extension): Aimee’s expertise in agriculture education and youth programs ensures that students learn science-based skills to grow, prepare, and appreciate real food.
- Sammy Ortiz (Y•E•S): Sammy empowers teens to think like entrepreneurs, giving them tools to build their own futures.
- Bola Adeshina (The Peace Workout): Bola inspires kids to move with joy, integrating fitness into our food literacy programs because healthy bodies and minds work hand in hand.
And then there’s Farmer Lundyn—our youth ambassador, and my daughter. The photo you see at the top of this blog captures the moment everything began: Lundyn, age 4, standing in this very garden with an armful of purple vegetables (her favorite color!). That day, she made her first garden-to-table meal—purple carrots, broccoli, basil, cabbage, and eggplant—and unknowingly planted a seed that would grow into Access to Fresh.
From That Picture to Today
Eight years later, here we are—back in the same garden, launching a program that brings it full circle. What started with one little girl’s curiosity has become a movement to ensure no child is left without access to fresh, nourishing food.
This week alone reminded me why we keep going. After losing refrigeration in 115-degree Florida heat, I still showed up—because I got to join Bola and the kids at the YMCA for a Peace Workout, deliver produce, and prepare for a pomegranate tasting at Joshua House, showcasing fruit from a new local farm we’re thrilled to support. These are the moments that keep me grounded.
Why We Keep Going
Not every day is easy—but programs like the Culinary Co-Op prove what’s possible when we work together. Teens will cook with Aimee, learn business from Sammy, exercise with Bola, and taste fresh, local foods that teach them what nutrient-dense eating really means.
We haven’t come this far to only come this far.
Together, we’re rewriting the story of food in Pasco County—one garden, one meal, one student at a time.
If you know a high school student ready to join the Culinary Co-Op’s first cohort, applications are open now! Apply here.
And if you see that picture of little Lundyn holding her veggies, know this: that spark is still what drives everything we do.
Nichole Dube
