Food Literacy Center Partners with Local Restaurant, Caballo Blanco, to Expand Food Literacy Education
New Program to Bring Fresh, Healthy Menu Item to Franklin Boulevard Restaurant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Sacramento, CA) – The Food Literacy Center is debuting a new program in the Franklin Boulevard neighborhood designed to share food literacy education and healthy meal options to children and families beyond the classroom. The initiative, launched together with La Familia Counseling Center and the Franklin Boulevard Business District with funding from Dignity Health, partners with local restaurants in the area to offer delicious, healthy menu options.
Caballo Blanco, a 60-year-old staple of Franklin Boulevard is the first restaurant to launch a new menu item created to be both great tasting and great-for-you, too. The Avocado Fresco Bowl – loaded with creamy avocados, heart-healthy beans and other fresh vegetables – is available now for takeout, along with the full Caballo Blanco menu.
The new program was inspired by unfortunate rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity that are disproportionately high in the Franklin Boulevard community. Average life expectancy is 77 years old, compared with 82.5 years in nearby affluent neighborhoods. The availability of unhealthy fast food options in the area is a direct contributor to these concerning statistics. The Food Literacy Center saw an opportunity to educate and encourage restaurants in the community to provide healthy options while benefitting the restaurant financially.
“This partnership brings the mission of the Food Literacy Center to life in a brand new way,” said Amber Stott, CEO & Chief Food Genius, Food Literacy Center. “We are so pleased to be working with Caballo Blanco, La Familia Counseling Center and the Franklin Boulevard Business District to provide options that can help improve the health of the community.”
The program was implemented by virtually training a team of local area youths to act as “boots on the ground” in the neighborhood. The street team spent the last few months eating their way through the popular restaurants in the Franklin Boulevard business district and providing a “Healthy Meals Score.” Menu items were evaluated on their use of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and more. This scorecard was then used to encourage restaurants to launch new, healthy menu items for their customers.
“Caballo Blanco Restaurante is very grateful to be included in the educational food literacy program.” said Ulysses Unzueta, Caballo Blanco restaurant management lead. “We fully support the ideal that other restaurants in the district will also participate in this health journey, and hope that by adding a healthy and tasty alternative to our menu will help motivate our patrons to become more health conscious, leading to a better quality of life.”
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ABOUT FOOD LITERACY CENTER
Food Literacy Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) established in 2011
in Sacramento, California, with the mission of inspiring kids to
eat their vegetables. The organization provides cooking and
nutrition education to children in low-income elementary schools
throughout the Sacramento City Unified School District to improve
health, economy and the environment. For more information about
Food Literacy Center, visit www.foodliteracycenter.org.
ABOUT LA FAMILIA COUNSELING
CENTER
La Familia Counseling Center, Inc. (La Familia) provides
multicultural counseling, outreach and support services to low
income, at-risk youth and families in Sacramento County. For more
than 40 years, La Familia has successfully operated programs that
have been recognized on the local, state and national levels. All
of La Familia’s services are free and bilingual staff members are
available to meet the needs of our diverse community.
ABOUT THE
FRANKLIN BOULEVARD BUSINESS DISTRICT
The Franklin Boulevard Business District (FBBD) is a
collaborative effort of property and business owners, located in
both the City and County of Sacramento, primarily focused along
Franklin Boulevard from Broadway to Turnbridge, as well as
portions of Fruitridge and 24th Street. We focus on providing
excellent maintenance and safety services; advocating for
business-friendly public policies; enhancing public spaces; and
promoting and marketing the area’s culturally diverse businesses,
in particular, its Latino and Hmong cultures. FBBD facilitates
positive business and economic development in the District while
fostering partnerships with businesses, neighborhoods,
community-based organizations, and government agencies.
