Booker T. Washington Senior High School

Overtown Cookbook Project
Students and faculty from Booker T Washington (BTW) High School and Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, all volunteers with the Historic Overtown Public Health Empowerment (HOPE) Collaborative, were featured participants at the Fun & Fit as a Family event at Jungle Island, part of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The students taught about how traditional foods could be healthy and tasty with some simple modifications, and handed out sample recipes from the Overtown Cookbook table prominently located at the Jungle Island Welcome Center all weekend. Students Eddie Thomas, Max Hughley, and Jerry Clark took the lead supported by other BTW students, UM social medicine students Heather Wayland, Trushul Siddhartham, Sigita Cahoon, Jackson Memorial Hospital family medicine resident Candra Wooten, Public Ally Devin Browne, and supervising faculty Anthony Jennings and David Brown. Other prominent participants at the event this weekend included Chefs Rachel Ray, Michelle Bernstein, and Allen Susser, and South Beach Diet founder Dr. Arthur Agatston. Thousands of children and families attended the event to learn about and cooking healthy food, and being active, alongside the birds and other animals of Miami's beautiful Jungle Island. Overtown Cookbook recipes are available at www.overtowncookbook.wordpress.com The Overtown cookbook is supported by a grant from the Dade Community Foundation, Greater Miami's permanent endowment made possible by generous donors since 1967.


On Saturday, January 24, 2009, the Historic Overtown Public Health Empowerment (HOPE) Collaborative joined with the United Health Foundation, National Medical Association, American Heart Association, and others to promote community health at the Peace of Heart event at the Overtown Youth Center. Booker T Washington High School (BTW) student Danielle King took a leading role in the kitchen and demonstrated for the assembled public how to make a healthy chicken curry meal aided by her able assistant Brandon Tate and their crew of student chefs. Student Eddie Thomas gave nutrition education talks to young and old alike, including a live radio interview on WMBM. More than twenty students educated and fed a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dessert to as many as 300 people under the supervision of BTW Project Director Anthony Jennings, aided by David Brown and Cheryl Brewster of the University of Miami (UM) Miller School of Medicine, Luther Brewster of the Florida International University (FIU), and HOPE Collaborative Public Ally Devin Browne. The curry recipe is included in the Overtown Cookbook which was handed out at the event and is also available for FREE DOWNLOAD at OvertownCookbook.wordpress.com supported by a grant from the Dade Community Foundation and the Health Foundation of South Florida. 98 people were screened for blood pressure & obesity, diabetes and cholesterol. Many more were educated about healthy living and treated to a beautiful day of sunshine, delicious, healthy food, and music, joined by dignitaries including former Congresswoman Carrie Meek. Jay Weiss Center Social Medicine students Heather Wayland, Trishul Siddharthan, and Sigita Cahoon measured waist circumference, blood pressure, and explained the results under the guidance of UM Family Medicine leaders Bob Schwartz & Penny Tenzer. All those who were screened will be contacted to follow up on their blood test results and those without their own doctor will be offered a medical home at the Jackson Health System’s Jefferson Reaves Health Center in Overtown www.jhsmiami.org. Those who want to quit smoking were offered free counseling and follow up with the Area Health Education Center www.mdahec.org/CessationServices.asp.

D e s i g n e d b y M a c k e y W e b D e s i g n