This morning, I headed into the city, to public school #89, to see Rachael Ray and US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announce that on Thursday all NYC school kids will be served lunches made using recipes from Yum-O, Rachael's non-profit.  With me for the press conference were Isabel Kallman (AlphaMom), Jen Rabulan-Bertram (The Next Kid Thing) and Amy Oztan (SelfishMom), and a whole bunch of kids in the school cafeteria.

Let me just say right up front that Rachael Ray is as nice and approachable and real in person as she is on the TeeVee.  She was excited about the announcement, going so far as to say it was as cool as when she met Bono (and then adding her giggle so I actually believed her). She loves this program and that the 850,000 meals served to kids in public schools every day will be especially delicious and healthy after Thursday when the program starts, and she had a big hand in making that happen. 

                   Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is wonderful too (she is NY's new Senator, after taking Hillary Clinton's Senate seat).  Senator Gillibrand is as warm, nice and attentive as she looks in her pictures.  She had lots to say on the importance of good food, especially for kids.  Eighteen percent of kids are obese and overweight kids don't do well in school.  She wants to see New York City's ban on trans fats in public schools spread to schools across the country, and to see more whole foods, fresh veggies and less processed meats in schools (yay to all that!).

                   After the announcements, Rachael Ray and the Senator served the kids and then mingled with them in the cafeteria.  There was a swarm of media as you can see from the photos.  

And btw, we had the lunch - roasted chicken, black bean and tomato salad, corn salad, fresh broccoli, salad greens and pita - and it was delicious.  I WANT the black bean recipe!