The need to provide healthy food options in our schools has gotten serious attention lately thanks to Michelle Obama's Chefs Move to Schools program. The new program, run by the USDA, calls on chefs to get involved by adopting a school and working with teachers, parents, and school nutrition professionals to help educate children about food and healthy eating.

Cooking with school kids has the spotlight now, but ASAP and local chefs have been working with schools since before 2007. Laurey Masterton of Laurey's Catering and Gourmet to Go in Asheville (pictured at left) is one of the chefs that has worked in area schools. In addition to Laurey, chefs from Sunburst Trout, Table, Greenlife Grocery, Mamacita's, The Market Place, and Knife & Fork have also been a part of school programs.

Laurey was recently invited to the White House to be a part of the Chefs Move to School launch, and she came back more fired up than ever. (Charles Hudson of Sunburst Trout and Jacob Sessoms of Table also recently headed to Washington.) She's teamed up with us here at ASAP, and we want all chefs-those that are already involved or who would like to be-to join us. Let's move our chefs to schools!