HHC is inspired and awed every day by the wonderful group of women and men who have come together for a common purpose, to defeat childhood obesity and better the lives of children and adults all over the country by empowering them with basic kitchen skills and nutrition information through fun hands-on HHC Cooking Classes.
We want to share the stories of these amazing people with you so that you can see the delightful diversity and passion we see every day!
This weeks instructor is Julie Emerson owner of The Tree House: Kids Healthy Cooking, Yoga and Reiki!
Julie has been married to her wonderful husband, Travis for 10 years and has two beautiful daughters, Lyncoln and Jillian. She has been a Healthy Hands Cooking instructor for almost two years.
Julie owns The Tree House – Kids Cooking, Yoga and Reiki Studio in Rice Lake, WI. She is also the President of the PTO at Cameron elementary school and she volunteers as a Sunday School teacher. She loves yoga, chocolate chip cookies and spending time with her family and friends. Julie especially loves bonfires!
In the fall of 2015, Julie suffered a severe concussion after a fall in her family home. She was working at a local college at the time of the fall, and needed to be off of work on a medical release for about a month.
During this time, she started to research remedies for how the concussion from the fall was making her feel.
While researching, Julie discovered many articles about healthy eating and implementing positive changes into our diet.
It was also during one of those research sessions that she came upon Healthy Hands Cooking. Julie immediately loved the concept of teaching children fun and healthy recipes that children can do themselves or with some adult assistance. She registered, completed the training and started her business in January 2016.
Julie has worked with local elementary schools, Kinship, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, churches and community centers. In June of 2017 she opened The Tree House.
Julie wanted a place where she could host various types of workshops, events, classes, and more.
So far, The Tree House hosted several week-long cooking and yoga camps, Friday Night Fun at The Tree House (a fun night for children to enjoy a night in while parents enjoy a night out), painting workshops for Mom’s Night Out, Cook & Create events for kids, birthday parties, yoga classes and more. Julie is always on the lookout for new and exciting educational options for parents and children.
We asked Julie what she loved most about the HHC mission and she told us it is how the children and parents react to our classes. “They love them! The recipes are fun and healthy (so many options) and it’s exciting to watch the children come alive during class. They are able to try new foods, experiment with different options and have a great time all while learning. (Shh……don’t tell them they are learning.)”
Julie has had parents tell her that their children now pay attention to labels on the foods they are eating and they want to participate in the grocery shopping and meal making process. She also loves the support and the community that is Healthy Hands Cooking. Julie feels instructors are able to share ideas, ask questions, encourage each other and grow together. According to Julie, it really doesn’t get any better than that.