Aptos, California – January 18, 2023 – Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen at Starlight Elementary School has recently launched thanks to more than $1.5 million in generous donations, which Jeff and Adele Talmadge from Talmadge Construction helped raise along with over 150 other supporters.
“The opening ceremony was a joyful afternoon of fruit-filled spiced cider, students displaying their artwork, and speakers thanking Jeff and Adele for their remarkable generosity and caring involvement in helping to make this dream come true,” smiles Linda Bixby of the Starlight team.
“This is the best day of my life,” beamed one young chef as he served cider and showed his art. “We have never seen such passion and community spirit,” said Emeril Lagasse Foundation president Brian Kish. “It’s such a joy to make a real difference for children across our country.”
Jeff and Adele Talmadge are equally thrilled. “Our young people are our community’s future,” stresses Jeff. “Just as we strive to help create a better quality of life for residents throughout the Aptos area, we do everything we can to ensure their children are similarly empowered.”
Adele wholeheartedly agrees. “Whether by providing volunteer carpentry and renovation services or fundraising an entirely new facility, all of us at Talmadge are dedicated to providing support and funding to equip our local schools with everything our kids need to succeed!”
The kitchen and garden of Starlight Elementary are now filled with excited students and alive with activity, including a Cookie Decorating Party, Family Cooking Night, and a Life Lab’s annual leadership institute day for garden educators from 25 school districts throughout the U.S.
Starlight Elementary will be one of only five such projects bringing powerful new learning resources to nearly 20,000 Pajaro Valley students and their families. The initiatives will also help other nonprofits expand nutrition, health, and wellness education throughout our community.
And they’ve only just begun. Find out more about future events, and express your gratitude and share the powerful impact this beautiful new learning resource brings to PVUSD and its community of students, educators, families, nonprofit partners, and community members!
About Talmadge Construction
A family-owned design-build firm located in Aptos, California, Talmadge has been the area’s eminent remodeler for 40 years thanks to their integrity, quality construction and innovative design.
All the wonderful folks at Talmadge Construction are relentlessly driven by a strong sense of community and convenience, and strive to create a remarkably pleasant remodeling experience with exceptional value, proven by their track record of 100% client satisfaction.
Explore their design-build process, take a look at their portfolio of stunning local projects, and contact them directly to schedule a free initial consultation. The expert craftsman and superb designers at Talmadge can’t wait to design your dream home, and translate that vision into a reality of the highest quality, completed on time and within budget.