THE HEALTHY KIDS INC. STORY!

Healthy Kids Inc. was inspired by our own journey with children, food, and health. We too were juggling a lot - long work hours and small kids. Our dinners were as quick as possible, and mainly consisted of frozen chicken nuggets (we hardly ever used real food), microwave mac and cheese (anything with directions on the label), and occasionally a canned vegetable (never-ever a fresh vegetable).

These easy-peasy foods seems great until our energy tanked. We were exhausted all of the time. We were seeing signs of weight gain and our kids were beginning to experience it too. They were having behavioral issues and not receiving any nutrients from their foods- just empty calories.

We knew it was time to make a change - but where would we start? We had no idea how to cook, our kids were picky eaters and never wanted to try anything new. This seemed like too much to bear.

But our hearts told us that our family deserved more.

We didn't want our kids to eat based on their stresses of the day (like we were). We didn't want our kids to suffer by consuming no nutrients, just because we were too tired to cook.

From that moment, we embarked on our Hero's Journey. We left our old ways and set out for transformation.

In 2019, Healthy Kids Inc. began working with KEYS 4 HealthyKids and the Benedum Foundation to launch a Central Kitchen Food Project to prepare from-scratch, nutrient dense meals, using locally grown foods for childcare centers in West Virginia. The project was born from the desires of West Virginia Childcare centers to relieve the burden and overwhelm they faced in providing healthier meals to the children.

In 2021, Healthy Kids Inc. began Implementing WV’s first Central Kitchen Food Project preparing from-scratch, nutrient dense, locally sourced meals for children and communities.

While the project started as an effort to improve food and health in childcare centers, it quickly became evident that this strategy was needed in other institutional food and community settings.

Today, the team consists of Dietetic Specialists, Nutritional Chefs, other culinary professions, advisors, and the same two parents that are even more passionate than ever to transform the local food system.

To learn more about the Central Kitchen Food Project, click here.

Meet Our Team

Mandy Curry

Co-Founder. Mandy is the free-spirited, soulful, big dreamer of the group. After 20 years in Corporate Management, she said goodbye to the suits and devoted her days to social entrepreneurship. Together with Kirk, she created Healthy Kids Inc., Start A Garden, Project Healthy Kids (a non profit), Business Uplifted, and later her personal website MandyCurry.com. Mandy is a lover of food, gardening, nature, spirituality and humanity and together with this team she feels the new food system emerging.

Kirk Curry

Co-Founder. Kirk is the behind-the-scenes tech and video guru for Healthy Kids Inc. His career started out with 13 years in environmental consulting. He enjoy all things science and solving problems. In 2010, he left corporate to work full time on Healthy Kids Inc with Mandy Curry where he became a self taught videographer, photographer, web developer, and problem solver. He and Mandy launched their second business a few years later called Start A Garden where they teamed up and created an online tool that made gardening easy for teachers and families (and he became a Master Gardener along the way). Today he continues to do systems and IT work and also grows food for the Central Kitchen.

Porche Fielder-Plyman

Porsche recently finished her culinary degree from Pierpont CTC. Porsche loves to make desserts with her speciality being tiramisu. In her spare time, Porsche loves to hike.

Ted Hastings

Chef Ted has been in the culinary field for 15 years. He was a chef/instructor at Pierpont Community and Technical Collage and Monongalia County Technical Education Center. Ted is also a local farmer in Morgantown, WV.

Ian Israelsen

Chef Ian has spent the majority of his culinary career in catering and fine dining establishments. Ian is currently seeking a Master of Science Degree in Nutritional and Food Science at the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design at West Virginia University. He will then go on to complete his Graduate Dietetic Internship.

Jay Mahoney

Culinary Advisor. Chef Jay served as a culinary instructor for 20 years at Pierpont Culinary Academy as an ACF Certified Executive Chef and American Academy of Chefs Inductee. His culinary career spans many resorts and hotels including the Greenbrier Resort, Arizona Biltmore, and L’Auberge de Sedona. Chef Jay has served as success coach and mentor to hundreds of students throughout his teaching career.

Tiffany Strange

Tiffany has been in food service for over a decade. Her experience spans daycares to startup restaurants. Tiffany’s expertise lies in baking and she currently serves as our “grains and baking” expert on the team. Tiffany is coupling her chef experience with a Masters of Science Degree in Nutritional and Food Science at the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design from West Virginia University.

Hannah Wright

Chef Hannah graduated from Marshall University with a degree in Dietitics in 2019. She then received her culinary and baking degree from Pierpont CTC in 2022. Hannah loves traveling, making cakes, and spending time outdoors.