ALEXANDRIA — “Eating at the holidays” and “eating healthy” are not usually synonymous.

Linda Wallace, home economist for Red Gold, has been working to alter that reality for several years through the annual Healthy Holiday Cooking School.

This year’s edition is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Farm Bureau Building at the 4-H Fairgrounds.

Wallace will be assisted by WRTV meteorologist Paul Poteet, Matt Rust of WQME-FM, Chef Tony Huelster of Bonge’s Tavern in Perkinsville and Farm Bureau students Olivia Kitts, Elwood, and Jake Gossett of Summitville. Kitts is the 2009 4-H queen.

“So many times during the holidays, we think, ‘Oh, everything you put in your mouth is not healthy,’” Wallace said recently. “There’s so much sweet stuff that we eat then. During the holidays I think it’s worse than any other time.

“We want to show people that they can still enjoy the holidays with some fun recipes, but ones that are healthy for them to eat, with not many calories and not much fat.”

The cooking school, which was created with assistance from the Purdue Extension Office, benefits the students of the Madison County 4-H Association.

Olivia Kitts and Jake Gossett will assist, but most of the heavy lifting will be done by Huelster, with an assist from Wallace and emcees Poteet and Rust.

“There’ll be lots of time for questions,” Wallace said. “We’ll have businesses who will have displays there. Doors open at 5:30, so people can come early and visit them. They’ll have samples for them to taste.”

Although the school was not held last year, it has been a fixture since 2005, raising $9,000 for the cause, Wallace said.

“I always wanted to do a cooking school, because I think they’re cool,” Wallace said. “And Anderson and this area really hadn’t had any cooking schools for a long time.”

Wallace, who has worked for Red Gold for 12 years, guaranteed that the recipes to be demonstrated would be delicious.

Then Wallace laughed. “And not everything has tomatoes in it.”

Contact Rodney Richey, 640-4861, rodney.richey@heraldbulletin.com

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