Confidence built through collaboration, practice, and hands-on learning.
Observed each year on January 24, International Day of Education, established by the United Nations, recognizes education as a human right and a public good. The 2026 theme, The power of youth in co-creating education, highlights a growing global focus on learning that is modern, relevant, inclusive, and shaped in partnership with young people.
To explore what that looks like in practice, we sat down with the Food Education Fund to talk about how food and hospitality education can build confidence, expand access to opportunity, and help students see themselves as active participants in shaping their futures through hands-on learning and real-world pathways supported by partners like HelloFresh.
HelloFresh: On International Day of Education, how do you think access to food and culinary education can change the trajectory of a young person’s life?
Food Education Fund: FEF sees culinary and hospitality education as a bridge, not just to a career but to confidence – shaping identity and improving economic and social mobility. For many of the students we work with – it’s the first time they can clearly connect what they are learning in their high schools to diverse career opportunities.
HelloFresh: Beyond technical cooking skills, what kinds of learning—confidence, problem-solving, teamwork—do students carry with them long after they leave the kitchen?
Food Education Fund: Our partner schools do a tremendous job of providing the culinary skills that encourage students to be excited about the industry. We connect the dots between the culinary and hospitality hard skills to the necessary people skills needed to thrive in the industry and beyond. They learn how to communicate under pressure, problem solve in real time, be accountable and work in a team dynamic. The value of time management and attention to detail become the key drivers in their ability to succeed both in their careers and in everyday life.
HelloFresh: Education often becomes most powerful when it’s applied in real life. Is there a moment or student story that illustrates how hands-on food education truly sticks?
Food Education Fund: We regularly see students who may be shy in the classrooms or in the hallways and then they step into their hospitality arena and they transform into a confident, competitive person. Once a student told us their first Dine Out experience allowed them to feel like they belonged in that type of restaurant for the first time in their life. In that moment they were treated with respect by an industry expert and their thoughts and questions were valued. In that moment they found a place where they felt seen and inspired. That is when education sticks – when it becomes personal and is a part of the catalyst for the future.
HelloFresh: How has your partnership with HelloFresh helped translate classroom learning into real-world opportunity for students?
Food Education Fund: Our partnership with HelloFresh has been an incredible bridge between classroom learning and real-world application. It allows students to see how food, logistics and innovation all connect in a modern food company. They’re immersed not just in cooking, but to the full ecosystem behind how food gets from concept to table. That kind of exposure expands what students believe is possible for their careers and helps them understand that there are many pathways into the industry.
HelloFresh: International Day of Education highlights education as a global equalizer. Why is it especially important that food and hospitality education be accessible to all students, regardless of background?
Food Education Fund: Hospitality is one of the most accessible and dynamic industries in the world but opportunities within it are not always equally accessible. That’s why our work is so critical. Every student deserves access to social and economic mobility. When students from all backgrounds can see themselves represented in the industry, it strengthens the entire workforce and community. Equity in education is not just a moral imperative; it’s an economic one.
With the Food Education Fund, education moves beyond the classroom and into real opportunity.
HelloFresh: As we look toward the future of education, what gives you the most hope when you think about how young people are learning through food today?
Food Education Fund: What gives us the most hope is how curious our students are when learning is hands-on and connected to the real world. When young people can see, touch, taste, and experience what they’re learning, it becomes meaningful. Food creates connection – to culture, to community, to career, and to purpose. Watching students realize their own potential through this work is what keeps us going. The future of education is experiential, human, and rooted in real opportunity – and food is one of the most powerful ways to get there.
International Day of Education invites us to rethink what meaningful learning looks like in practice. As this conversation shows, education resonates most when it’s experiential—when students can apply knowledge, build confidence, and see themselves reflected in real opportunities. Food, in particular, offers a powerful point of entry, connecting learning to culture, collaboration, and community.
Through partnerships like the Food Education Fund and HelloFresh, education becomes something students help shape, not just something they receive. When young people are treated as active participants in their learning, education becomes a pathway to belonging.
To read more about the Food Education Fund and the impact they’re making in students’ lives, read the article here. And if you’d like to get in touch with FEF, please email hello@fefnyc.org
