Our purpose is to provide Bridgeport youth with the knowledge and skills to make good food choices and maintain healthy eating habits while promoting local food sovereignty. Cook and Grow was founded in 2009 by Chef Mona Jackson. Its core program is the Junior Chef Program for children ages 8 to 13 years old. The program teaches gardening, kitchen safety, food preparation, cooking, nutrition, and how to be an informed consumer. It also addresses the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and the dramatic increase of childhood obesity.