CHICAGO- Big Bowl and Organic School Project celebrate Chinese New Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 20, 2009 -- BIG BOWL CELERBATES AN ‘ORGANIC’ CHINESE NEW YEAR
On January 26, Big Bowl will partner with Organic School Project to
ring in the Chinese New Year with students at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School

(CHICAGO, IL, (JANUARY 26, 2009) – Big Bowl, Chicago’s renowned fresh Chinese and Thai restaurants, and Organic School Project, an initiative in the Chicago Public Schools that teaches children about more mindful food and lifestyle choices through the curriculum and lunch program, will celebrate the Chinese New Year ‘organic’ style at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School, a Chicago Public School in Lincoln Park (2625 N. Orchard Street).
On January 26th Big Bowl will prepare an organic, natural and sustainable good luck lunch for 350 children in pre-kindergarten through grade 8, and enlighten them with Chinese cultural activities. The school’s curriculum, which includes Mandarin, will also incorporate the traditions and historical significance of the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar.

Big Bowl chefs and Alcott cafeteria employees will prepare a Chinese New Year lunch consisting of ‘lucky foods’ that represent bounty and long life: beef and broccoli (entree), tofu and broccoli (meatless option), chicken noodle soup with long life noodles or dumpling (side dish), fortune cookies and oranges or tangerines (dessert). This menu will be served the entire lunch period, from 10 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
In an ongoing effort to combat obesity in school age children, Big Bowl recently announced they will be donating a percentage of sales from their children’s menu to OSP.

"We are so grateful for Big Bowl not only working to support us through monetary contributions, but also by helping us to celebrate hands on within Alcott,” says Greg Christian, founder and chairman of the board of OSP. “Without this kind of support from our community partners OSP would not be able to reach out to as many children and make learning about more mindful choices as fun and rewarding.”

OSP provides school age children with a foundation for a healthy lifestyle through its Grow –Teach- Feed™ model. As an OSP pilot school, Alcott started a community garden in 2005, implemented curriculum and wellness workshops and handles the foodservice for the students which features a daily made-from- scratch, organic and sustainable lunch.

For additional information or a copy of Big Bowl’s children’s menu, please contact Laura Yee, LY Media, 773/784.8490 or laurayee@lymedia.net.

For information on the Organic School Project, please visit organicschoolproject.org or contact Ilyse Strongin-Bombicino, DCA/DCPR at 847 432.6000 or ilyse@dca-dcpr.com.

Big Bowl     Greg Christian     Organic School Project