Hillsborough Pre-K Goes Gourmet

Preschoolers at The Little School of Hillsborough ate risotto with chicken breast and fresh vegetables Tuesday, followed by an afternoon snack of yogurt and granola parfait. The organic, local cooking of their newest chef has received rave reviews, with preschoolers often cheering or singing songs in appreciation.

Nate McMullen, or “Chef Nate” as he is known to the kids, began working at the preschool about three months ago. McMullen, who is the dad of Kellan, one of the school’s students, prepares organic snacks and meals each day.

When the school opened its College Park Road location in January, the staff knew exactly who they wanted to be the cook, said Christa Niven, the school’s co-director.

“Every school feeds their children. Every child has to eat every day,” she said.

“But not every school creates a curriculum around feeding their children, and Nate has done that.”

McMullen began cooking professionally about 14 years ago in Washington, D.C. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has since worked at privately-owned restaurants in New York, Michigan and the Outer Banks.

He moved to Hillsborough a few years ago to cook for the four-star Fearrington House Restaurant before taking the more flexible job at the school.

“It’s definitely not as stressful,” he said. “You don’t have a chef yelling at you all the time. You don’t have a paying customer out there who sometimes demands crazy things.”

McMullen said he has learned a lot about preparing meals that are both appealing and healthy for kids.

“In the avenues where I’d been cooking, you want as much flavor as possible,” he said. “You’re not really going for the health side. You want just to impress. So coming here, I’ve kind of shifted gears.”

One of the major ways to teach children to make healthier food choices is by involving children in the process of growing and preparing food, said Alice Ammerman, professor at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health.

By doing this, children are less afraid to try unfamiliar foods, she added.

The school has its own herb garden, named after Chef Nate.

“When the kids are coming back and showing Nate, ‘Look at the beans that we made,’ Nate is saying, ‘Yes, this is exactly like the beans you are going to eat today,’” Niven said.

Parents are shocked and pleased that their kids will eat the nutritious food, and are struggling to keep up at home, she said. They have asked McMullen to write a cookbook.

McMullen said that his job at The Little School is more fulfilling than his previous jobs.

“Kids that I barely know will give me a hug and say, ‘Thanks,’ and that’s pretty cool,” McMullen said. “It makes me feel good.”



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