Beyond the Plate: How a Telly-Winning Series is Remaking Nutrition Ed

SACRAMENTO, CA – June 26, 2026 – An award in the entertainment industry often signifies creative or technical excellence. But when the Dairy Council of California recently accepted a Silver Telly Award for its educational series, ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together,’ it represented something more profound: a validation of an innovative strategy to tackle the complex and persistent challenge of childhood nutrition literacy. Standing alongside media giants like Paramount, Warner Brothers Discovery, and FOX Entertainment as a 2026 Telly honoree, this small but mighty series proves that impactful content doesn't always come from the biggest studios. It comes from understanding a deep-seated community need and forging the right partnerships to address it.

The award, granted in the highly competitive ‘Series – Education & Discovery’ category, recognizes the second season of a program that does far more than simply tell middle schoolers to eat their vegetables. In a world saturated with fleeting digital content, this collaboration between a nutrition-focused nonprofit, the nation’s second-largest school district, and a public television station offers a powerful case study in how to create educational media that is not only engaging but essential. It’s a look beyond the launch of a simple TV show and into the architecture of a successful public health initiative.

The Anatomy of an Award-Winning Series

At its core, ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ is a masterclass in meeting an audience where they are. The series, produced in partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) Wellness Programs and PBS affiliate KLCS-TV, is structured as a four-part journey into the world of food. Each 10- to 15-minute episode is a carefully crafted blend of entertainment and education, designed for the notoriously hard-to-engage middle school demographic.

Hosted by the charismatic Maggie Yu-DiPasquale from LAUSD’s Wellness Programs, the series guides viewers through foundational topics like the importance of breakfast, the truth about school meals, smart snacking, and the fascinating journey food takes from farm to table. The short format respects the attention spans of its young audience while packing a significant educational punch. Cooking demonstrations led by Chef Vina and Chef Jamie provide practical, replicable skills, transforming abstract nutritional concepts into tangible, delicious meals. This hands-on approach is critical; it moves students from passive recipients of information to active participants in their own health.

What truly sets the series apart is its integration of scientific credibility with accessible storytelling. Each episode features insights from a registered dietitian nutritionist, ensuring the information is evidence-based and reliable. Yet, the tone remains conversational and encouraging. It’s a delicate balance that many educational programs fail to strike. By combining simple recipes, expert guidance, and engaging conversations, the series successfully demystifies nutrition and frames healthy eating not as a chore, but as a source of “enjoyment, learning and connection,” as the creators intended.

The Silver Telly Award is a significant external validation of this approach. The Tellys, now in their 47th year, are judged by a council of over 250 industry leaders from top-tier networks and production companies. Winning is not a small feat. It signifies that the production quality, storytelling, and educational value of ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ are on par with content produced by major international brands, confirming that mission-driven media can achieve the highest levels of excellence.

A Blueprint for Collaborative Impact

Perhaps the most compelling innovation behind the series isn’t its content, but its collaborative foundation. The success of ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ is a direct result of a strategic partnership that leverages the unique strengths of three distinct organizations. This is not a simple sponsorship deal; it is a deeply integrated model of co-creation.

The Dairy Council of California brings decades of expertise in science-based nutrition education. As the primary driver, it provides the core curriculum and ensures the series aligns with its mission to foster lifelong healthy eating patterns. Amy DeLisio, CEO of the Dairy Council of California, emphasized this point in the announcement, stating that the award “reflects the power of collaboration in creating meaningful educational experiences for children and families.”

LAUSD’s Wellness Programs provide the critical link to the target audience. With direct access to one of the largest and most diverse student populations in the country, the district offers invaluable insight into the real-world challenges and needs of students and families. Having an LAUSD host, Maggie Yu-DiPasquale, lends the program an authentic voice and built-in credibility within the school community. This partnership ensures the content is not just theoretically sound but also culturally relevant and practically applicable in the daily lives of its viewers.

Finally, PBS affiliate KLCS-TV contributes the production expertise and broadcast platform necessary to bring the vision to life. As a public television station, KLCS-TV has a mandate to serve the community with high-quality, educational programming. Their involvement elevates the series from a simple classroom video to a professionally produced broadcast, capable of reaching families across Southern California and, through on-demand streaming, the entire country. This three-legged stool—nutrition expertise, community access, and production power—creates a stable and highly effective platform for public health messaging.

Addressing a Critical Gap in Public Health

This initiative arrives at a critical time. In California and across the nation, educators and public health officials are grappling with significant challenges related to childhood wellness, from rising rates of obesity and diabetes to persistent food insecurity. Traditional nutrition education, often confined to textbook diagrams and posters, struggles to compete for attention and often fails to equip children with the practical skills needed to navigate a complex food environment.

‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ directly addresses this gap by focusing on building nutrition literacy—the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic nutrition information and services to make appropriate health decisions. By showing kids how to cook, how to read labels, and how to understand where their food comes from, the series empowers them to become advocates for their own health. The focus on family engagement is also key, as research consistently shows that health outcomes improve when healthy habits are adopted by the entire household.

The decision to make the series available for free on-demand streaming is a strategic move that extends its impact far beyond the initial broadcast. It transforms the program into a permanent, evergreen resource for educators looking to supplement their health curricula, for after-school programs seeking engaging activities, and for parents wanting to learn alongside their children. This accessibility is fundamental to bridging the equity gap in health education, ensuring that high-quality resources are not locked behind a paywall.

Building on a Foundation of Success

The Season 2 Telly Award is not an isolated achievement. It builds upon previous Telly honors for the original ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ series, demonstrating a sustained commitment to quality and impact. This is not a one-off project but a long-term investment in community health. The repeated recognition signals that the Dairy Council of California and its partners have developed a replicable and scalable formula for success.

By continuing to invest in this model, the organizations are doing more than just creating a TV show; they are building an ecosystem of resources that supports health education at multiple levels. For business leaders, policymakers, and nonprofit executives, this initiative offers a clear lesson: the most effective innovations often arise from the intersection of diverse expertise united by a common purpose. The impact of ‘Let's Eat Healthy Together’ will be measured not just in awards won, but in the countless families it empowers to build healthier, more connected lives through the simple, profound act of sharing a meal.