Michelle Wohlfarth, holistic health educator, certified integrative nutrition coach and owner of Healthy Living Kitchen, in Hummelstown, is passionate about nutrition. More than 10 years ago, she founded The Healthy Living Kitchen as a way to teach others how to create healthier meals for themselves and their families. Six years ago, she became manager of the Farmers Market in Hershey. “It was a great match because of the market’s strong interest in educating their customers on healthy lifestyles, and there’s a really strong focus on teaching children the benefits of healthy eating,” she says.

While Wohlfarth no longer manages the market, she is still actively involved in the market’s education and outreach. “In collaboration with the medical center community outreach, we have a new program called the Health Detective that teaches kids to eat and cook healthy foods,” she explains. This seasonally focused program includes cooking demos, activities and a booklet that provides kid-friendly recipes. “Every week, kids come and learn about what's in season. They watch demonstrations on how to prepare the recipes provided in the booklet. They get really involved and excited about it,” says Wohlfarth, who notes that the program has been well-received by adults and children alike.

For those that want to dive in a little further, The Healthy Living Kitchen now offers kid’s cooking classes in their new storefront, located at 16 South Rosanna Street, in Hummelstown. “Our goal is to teach kids to eat well, and one of the best ways to have them eat healthier is to get them involved,” says Wohlfarth. “We recently had our first class, and the kids had a lot of fun. You could tell they were all really happy to participate.”

Since opening the storefront, Wohlfarth says she often talks to young mothers that are focused on eating well and having their children become more involved in the meal planning. “There is definitely a family tie to many of the conversations I’ve been having, and a lot of interested parents in the community motivated to eat healthier,” she says.

In addition, Healthy Living Kitchen offers a bounty of local produce, locally made products, an online farmers’ market, cooking classes and workshops.

The Farmers Market in Hershey, located at 1215 Research Blvd., in Hummelstown, is open every Thur. For more information, call 717-512-0077 or visit HealthyLivingKitchenPA.com and FarmersMarketInHershey.com.