Dole Hosts Its Largest Virtual Cooking Class Ever

Dole Food Company continued its focus on virtual cooking instruction and nutrition education with its largest virtual cooking class ever designed for bloggers, influencers and other enthusiasts committed to working with the fresh fruit and vegetable leader to prove that healthy eating can be easy, healthy and even fun.

The Aug. 5 Dole Virtual Cooking Class and Princess Banquet combined recipe preparation and in-kitchen cooking tips with presentations from Dole and Disney in support of “A Recipe for Courage and Kindness,” Dole’s ongoing total-wellness tribute to Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration global event. The Zoom Webinar event was hosted by Dole Nutrition and Health Communications Manager Melanie Marcus, MA, RD.

During the two-hour class, Marcus led more than 50 top-tier food, health, nutrition, family and lifestyle influencers through the preparation of three recipes: Princess Pearls Punch, a blend of selected DOLE^® fruits, white grape juice and pearl tapioca balls honoring Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid; Te Fiti Fudgy Coco Cake Pops, a healthy, Disney’s Moana-inspired dessert made with DOLE^® Bananas, dates, cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips and coconut flakes; and Glass Slipper Veggie Tea Sandwiches, a vegetarian version of traditional tea sandwiches themed to Disney’s Cinderella.

The class included a recap of the Dole and Disney collaboration since the 1970s, when Dole became sponsor of Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland; and updates on Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration and Dole’s nutrition education and recipe-development process. In keeping with the Disney Princess theme, aspiring princesses and princes were also taught dining etiquette tips.

Dole had plans in 2020 for an in-person cooking class to support its “Now We’re (All) Cooking” initiative themed to Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille but transitioned to a virtual event due to COVID-19. The online celebration proved so popular that the company decided to pursue additional virtual events as part of its larger misson to equip parents with the recipes and other resources necessary to build healthier households.

“Going virtual last year allowed us to share our healthy recipes and cooking tips with aspiring chefs and Dole and Disney fans across the country,” said Marcus. “It also showed the appetite that parents, grandparents and heads of household have for making a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables more compelling for kids. Armed with those key learnings and an exciting new collaboration with Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration, we knew we wanted to make this year’s virtual party bigger and better than ever.”

The three recipes featured during the class are among 20 original dishes inspired by Disney’s dozen Princesses and created by Marcus for “A Recipe for Courage and Kindness,” which continues through Sept. 30, 2021. Other assets available at www.dole.com/Disney include DIY recipe videos, a DOLE^® Banana Sticker Peel and Play Story Book, Interactive Disney Princess Quiz and other downloadable activities.

For original recipes, nutritional insights, and other information, go to www.dole.com or follow Dole’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest pages.

About Dole plc

Dole plc is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.