Nutrition and Master Food Preservers

The CHEFS program offers three class options which are offered in six to seven week cohorts in groups of about twenty students. Each class has a specific theme and content. 

Participants are expected to attend all classes, or complete a makeup activity to be eligible for participation incentives at the end of the class.

• CHEFS 101: Nutrition Basics, Build a Healthy Plate
• CHEFS 102: Healthy for Life
• CHEFS 103: Master the Kitchen. Cooking Matters

Social connection and good food go hand in hand in our Elderberries program. Aimed at older adults, Elderberries brings people together through cooking classes, shared meals, and conversation.

Led by CCE Orleans' nutrition educators, participants explore healthy recipes, try new foods, and enjoy the company of others in a fun, welcoming space. 

The program takes place across Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany, and Erie counties, making it a regional effort to nourish bodies, minds, and community.

It’s more than a cooking class—it’s about nourishment, laughter, and friendship.

Food is medicine—and Food Rx brings that idea to life. Through partnerships with local farms and healthcare providers, the program allows doctors to write a “food prescription.” Participants receive vouchers that can be redeemed at specific local farms and stores, giving families direct access to fresh, healthy foods grown right here in our region.

Food Rx makes healthy eating both accessible and sustainable—supporting community wellness while also strengthening our local farm economy.

For more details on participating voucher redemption locations, call 585-798-4265 or email orleans [at] cornell.edu (orleans[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Voucher Redemption Locations:

Rush's Vegtables
Human Farms & Green Houses
Partyka Farms
Heartland Organics, Inc.
Navarra's Farm Market and Greenhouses
Lori's Market Basket
Save a-lot
Circle R Fruit Farms
Kirby's Farm Market
Bower's Microgreens
 

Whether you're preserving your own harvest or you've purchased locally grown fruits or vegetables, canning, freezing and drying can be effective ways to serve foods that taste harvest-fresh at a later date. To ensure that the products you serve are safe, it is important to follow tested guidelines for safely preserving foods by these methods. Cooperative Extension offers both information and hands-on, small group training in a variety of home food preservation topics.