Partner Spotlight: Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

At Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy, growth is something you can see, taste, and feel. It shows up in the garden beds where students check on sprouting greens, in the teaching kitchen where they chop vegetables with increasing confidence, and in the way they speak about food, culture, and community. As an Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen school partner, they have built a space where students develop skills that carry far beyond the classroom.

Led by Culinary Teacher Chef Jason “Jay” Madden and Garden Instructor Jane Madden, the school has been part of Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen since 2021. The longevity of this partnership has allowed educators to grow alongside the same students year after year, watching their confidence and skills blossom with time. For the educators, that continuity is what makes the work meaningful.

In an interview with the Foundation, Chef Jay shared,

“We have seventh and eighth graders who started with us when they were much younger. You see the shift in their confidence. The way they move in the kitchen and garden is completely different from when they first walked in.”

That growth is visible in the way students engage with food. Children who once hesitated to try new ingredients now taste with curiosity and pride. They ask for recipes to recreate dishes at home. They point out foods from their cultural backgrounds and share family traditions with classmates.

In the garden, the progression is just as striking. Students who once needed step-by-step guidance now transplant seedlings, follow tool safety, and manage garden routines with minimal reminders. “They know what to do because they have done it for years,” Jane said.

“Their confidence has grown right alongside the plants.”

With the recent addition of BAM! Box hydroponic grow kits, an exciting new extension of the Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen program, students can now grow produce indoors at home, and the excitement has grown even further. Students beam when they see their lettuce or herbs sprout, and many return to class with updates. One proudly shared that his plants were “already touching the top.”

As those skills develop, the program’s influence continues well beyond the classroom. Parents report that their children cook more often, talk about their garden work, and experiment with ingredients they once avoided. A recent evaluation conducted by the Foundation in partnership with the Louisiana Public Health Institute echoed those experiences, finding that up to 88 percent of students cook outside of class, many preparing full meals for their families.

As the program continues to grow, both instructors hope to deepen student leadership. Plans include student-designed planting schedules, expanded composting projects, and opportunities for older students to teach younger grades. “They have the skills,” Jane said. “Now we want them to help shape the bigger picture.”

For Chef Jay, the heart of the work always comes back to relationships.

“Food helps us connect. When students feel seen and supported, they try new things and surprise themselves. That confidence stays with them.”

At Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy, the garden and kitchen have become more than classrooms. They are places where students learn to nurture, to experiment, to work together, and to take pride in what they create. Their confidence shows in every recipe, every harvest, and every new skill they carry home.

The result is a community growing together, one seed and one dish at a time.