Jessica Cunningham

I have been living in Colorado for over 20 years.  I moved from Missouri to attend college and never looked back! My past travels and experiences have converged into a great relationship between education and food.  Travelling and studying through South and Central America was the start of my interest in culture and food.  I loved learning new recipes and foods from across the continent, as well as people’s history and connection to food.  

 I have been teaching on and off for the past 10 years, first in Chicago and then Denver.  When in Chicago I worked with children that experienced food insecurity daily.  I began to find ways to discuss healthy habits in the classroom for kids that had little experience with fresh food. I was interested in ways to help communities tackle food insecurity through urban gardening.  When I came back to Denver I worked in early childhood settings teaching and finding more passion with the concept of garden to classroom education. I observed how hands-on experiences in the garden can have a positive and lasting impact on children.  I loved having space to not only use the garden for science and cooking projects but also explore art and story time in a beautiful space. Having my own child has reinforced my passion for experiences with local food and learning about healthy habits.  I have loved gardening and teaching my son about seed to table and cooking food straight from our garden.  He loves picking the carrots and peas out of our backyard garden! This past season I have been working and learning alongside others at the Mountair Park community farm. It has been quite the culinary adventure bringing home veggies and exploring different ways to cook and find joy in growing and eating our own food.  I love bringing young learners onto the farm and watching them interact with the food we pick and eat. I am excited to take this passion and knowledge into classrooms!   My son, Danny,  keeps me busy most days! We love exploring new hikes and creeks to splash and play with our dog Mookie.  I am excited to join a team of people that believe in expanding experiences with local,