Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, for those who have not seen the ABC reality TV show, showcases Jamie’s herculean effort to improve the American diet by encouraging a change from processed foods to cooking with fresh, natural ingredients. He begins his challenge in Huntington, WV – a town recently characterized as the most unhealthy city in America.
In Episode 4, Jamie visits Huntington Steel where he teaches healthy cooking to the employees. Jamie is presented with an American eagle decorated hard hat and then leads a cooking class on the shop floor. As one of those there when Episode 4 was taped, I was impressed with the effort and detail necessary to produce a TV show. From the 4 to 5 hours of takes and retakes, came about 2 minutes of “on air” time. No wonder TV production is expensive.
You might be wondering why I am writing about the Food Revolution and what it has to do with the steel industry. Well for one, the show highlights Huntington Steel, the company where I have spent the last 18 years. Also, being in my early 50′s and realizing that I won’t live for ever, I have been focused on extending my life through healthy habits – better diet and more exercise.
During taping for the show, I was interviewed and said that we wanted our employees to be healthy. Though it didn’t make the final cut, I also commented that: “Other than the obvious – that we care for our friends at work, one of the benefits of having healthy employees is fewer absences. Healthy habits result in healthy bodies. Being at work is the first step in employee productivity”.
Now the reason for this article’s title. During Jamie’s two visits, he used a phrase that was new to me. He called our production guys “Steel Benders” and he said that guys like these are the key to the success of the “Revolution”.
If “Steel Benders” are to join and support Jamie’s efforts, we must help. Let’s take our part and push the industry to support the “Food Revolution”. We can start with simple things such as offering our employees healthy alternatives to the “lunch wagon” and by nudging our vendor’s salesmen to bring bananas instead of donuts. In a more serious way, if your company does not have a wellness program – start one. There are plenty of educational resources out there that can help you bring a healthier perspective to the lives of your employees. They and your company will benefit.
Let all the “Steel Benders” unite and join “The Food Revolution”!
HERE’s a link to Episode 4 at ABC’s website.
