The Hyatt Corporation hotel chain announced last month a healthy upgrade to its menu offerings in all of its U.S., Canadian and Caribbean hotels. The changes include a children's menu named "For Kids By Kids" and a commitment to more nutritious food choices, including organic offerings.

After a year of anonymously documenting her daily consumption of school lunches in a blog, Chicago public school speech pathologist Sarah Wu, 34, has revealed her identity and a new book, Fed Up With Lunch.

Known as the outspoken Berkeley, California chef and founder of restaurant Chez Pannise, Alice Waters appeared on The Wall Street Journal's Big Interview last week to talk food, politics and feeding the world as the 40^th anniversary of her landmark restaurant nears.

At the magical Edible Schoolyard, kids in grades 6, 7 and 8 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School learn about food facts both simple and critical like…:

• the origins of food, plant life cycles, community values
• the pleasures of work
• how to prepare and eat delicious, nutritious, seasonal dishes made from produce they grow in their own garden

Edible Schoolyard – Sharing the Bounty

In 1999, an Edible Schoolyard Children’s Museum was launched in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2005, Alice and her gang helped launch Edible Schoolyard NOLA at the Samuel J. Green Charter School in New Orleans. And on Saturday, October 17^th, Edible Schoolyard will host a grand opening for its newest location at the Willie Mays Boys & Girls Club at Hunters Point in San Francisco.

A San Francisco Department of Public Health report that stated that alcohol, tobacco, and junk food are the most commonly sold products in Hunters Point, with many children purchasing snacks from “candy houses” – makeshift stores run by residents out of their homes.  The ESY in Hunters Point will work towards turning this sorry state-of-affairs around, bringing real food – and an appreciation for it –  to areas that are underserved by organic markets – and even regular supermarkets for that matter (low income neighborhoods typically have 30% fewer supermarkets than higher income neighborhoods).

Food equity, food appreciation, food celebration…here’s to Alice Waters and her team of committed real food advocates and the important work they do, every day.

Keep connected with ESY’s day-to-day happenings in their online Journal. Truly inspiring stuff.

If you want to truly learn about seasonal, organic and sustainable foods in highly recommend picking up one of her many cookbooks for inspiration. If you are new to cooking, pick up The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution , in it she covers the basics of classic culinary cuisine. Other favorites on my book shelf are Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, Chez Panisse Fruit and Chez Panisse Vegetables

If you want to start your own edible school yard pick up Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea.