---

Kentucky State University held a grand opening celebration for its Thorobred Nutrition Kitchen on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, with representatives from YouthBuild Louisville and members of the community attending. KSU President Raymond Burse and Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher was among the speakers scheduled for the event. The ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30 a.m. outside the Sheppard Square leasing office, formerly St. Peter Claver Church, at 526 Lampton Street in Louisville.

The new healthy food initiative is bringing fresh meals and nutrition education to Louisville neighborhoods. Increasingly across the United States, access to healthy food is becoming more challenging, especially in urban communities. Consistent with these challenges is the rise of obesity and related adverse health effects. Recently, KSU’s College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems created the Thorobred Nutrition Kitchen, a 24-foot mobile commercial kitchen trailer, with the goals of providing nutrition and healthy cooking education to communities and families and helping to improve food access with fresh produce and ready-made, healthy meals while supporting the local food economy.

“Gaining access to healthy, affordable and local food is difficult for many families, especially in urban settings,” says Dr. Kristopher Grimes, KSU state specialist for nutrition and nutrition education and assistant professor. “KSU’s goal with this initiative, along with our partners, is to develop more efficient ways for families to gain access to these foods while also helping them achieve healthier lifestyles at the same time.”

This initiative is a collaboration between the Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Mayor Fischer’s Office, Farm Credit Mid-America, YouthBuild of Louisville and Kentucky State University.