Food Studies Institute is a small group of experienced professionals doing BIG things!
We are dedicated to helping our school and community partners develop world class food literacy education programs at home and abroad. We have over 25 years of experience and we’d love to work with your community. Contact us!
Staff
Antonia Demas, PhD
Founder and President
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Antonia Demas is the author of Food is Elementary (FIE), an interdisciplinary curriculum for people of all ages. FIE is a hands-on curriculum that teaches students and their families about food, nutrition, cooking, gardening, and ecology through multicultural lesson plans integrated with the academic disciplines. Food is used as a sensory-based vehicle to teach these disciplines in a way that is fun and hands-on. FIE engages a variety of learning styles. Students who often do not perform well in the conventional academic setting excel with FIE because their creativity and special talents are given a venue to shine within the classroom. FIE has been successfully implemented in schools in the U.S., from Hawaii to Vermont as well as abroad.
Antonia believes that it is crucial that we educate children beginning at an early age about how to prevent the development of many chronic diseases and what we can do to mitigate climate change. Food Studies Institute (FSI) works with schools and communities to develop research plans to document the effect FIE has on academic performance, the health of people and the planet, and behavior. FSI’s goal is to have food literacy education in all schools so students will have access to information that will benefit individuals and the planet
Ariel Demas, MA
Vice President
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Ariel grew up near Ithaca, New York where she learned cooking and gardening at a young age. In elementary school, she participated in her mother Antonia’s pioneering food education lessons in the classroom and after school program. After graduating from Cornell University, Ariel moved to New York City and then Baltimore, Maryland, where she developed an experiential food literacy education program that includes nutrition and multicultural classes for students in Pre-K – 8th grade, after school gardening and culinary arts clubs, community dinners, international nights, school wellness activities, and much more. Ariel loved being part of a diverse school community for 15 years, and learned a tremendous amount from her students and colleagues. She is a licensed teacher and holds a master’s in Education from Goddard College. Ariel is proud to work for the family business, Food Studies Institute, and looks forward to working with you!