Monkey Business

So I was working at the annual Chicago Green Festival on Navy Pier last weekend, and stumbled into (literally) the table of Gourmet Gorilla, which specializes in healthy food for kids. This Chicago-based company seeks to educate and provide kids with local and organic food, and even works with schools!

Here is their mission:

The Gourmet Gorilla™ Mission:

To strive for a sustainable future for our children by providing local and organic school lunches and healthier eating options. We are committed to working with community partners to provide solid nutrition for children in order to help them learn and grow. Building alliances between local farms, urban agriculturalists, dieticians, nutritionists, talented chefs, and organic food manufacturers, we are able to provide quality ingredients as well as links to educational resources on healthy food curriculum, the value of organic foods, garden projects, and ecological awareness.

How much do you love this!?! My favorite part is the wide range of people that are involved, especially local farmers. The website goes on to say that all of the food is 100% organic, and the meats are free range, grass-fed, natural, and hormone/antibiotic/artificial preservative-free. The food is also GMO- and peanut-free, which sounds great for all of the kiddos with food allergies!

Part of their mission that makes me think they'll be successful is that they make healthier versions of typical kid snacks. For example, instead of the school lunch pizza that dripped oil and fat down our elbows that we all ate, Gourmet Gorilla supplies veggie pizza bread. And instead of our fatty PBJs, they have sun butter (actually quite good) and jelly. I feel like these slight variations will avoid the stigma of bringing, *gasp*, veggies in your lunch to school!

I thought that the idea of this company couldn't get better: The kitchen is also working toward becoming a zero waste kitchen, featuring composting and recycling programs, and delivery in eco-friendly cars. Schools working with Gourmet Gorilla could easily weave in the company's efforts into academic units on taking care of the Earth and healthy eating, which is an added bonus.

In fact, Gourmet Gorilla also lists developing school curricula to bridge farms and schools as one of their services, including activities such as creating herb gardens, visiting urban farms, and learning about the organic food chain.

Parents: Would you consider using this service for your kids at school, camp, daycare, etc.?