PROJECT MERIENDA / KENNY KUSINA

My name is Kenrick Mercado, and my sister’s name is Richel Hall. We both live in Richmond, but I work in San Francisco as a Chef, and Richel is a full-time student at Contra Costa College and a part-time Teacher Assistant at a parochial after-school program. In 2015, we established our after-school education program at San Francsico's Bessie Carmichael School campuses, the state's first bilingual Filipino public school.  Our program we created, is called Project Merienda, named after the Pilipino word for “afternoon meal.”

We teach kids about sustainable food systems.

We encourage kids to cook at home together with friends & families.

We inspire kids to be the next generation of talented Chefs.

Program Leaders

Kenrick Mercado is a seasoned Chef. His appetite is as big as his ambition to share kitchen stories, develop new recipes and help end food insecurity.  Richel Hall is an Educator, with an ambition to teach children to make healthy food choices. She plans a variety of fun and engaging activities that encourage students to apply their reading, math, and science skills into their cooking.

Culinary Workshops

We instruct and create delicious kid-friendly dishes from fresh ingredients. Our goals are; to encourage children to help with cooking meals at home, to preserve traditional family recipes, and inspire the next generation of talented Chefs. We believe families should share their recipes with friends, which, in turn nourishes the community. Kids learn basic culinary techniques safely, and develop an education about their food.

Educational Workshops

We instruct and facilitate activities that complete academic level goals that focus on food education, history, nutrition, science, and math. Our activities are project based that develop creativity and problem solving.  We encourage students to be hands-on and supportive of each other, developing a safe learning environment. Kids learn more about their food culture, in order to preserve their food future.