The culinary kids are whipping up amazing creations almost every week in the Shadow Ridge kitchens. From crispy chicken tenders to sweet monkey bread, each creation is better than the last. Currently there are two Culinary Arts teachers at Shadow Ridge, one of them being Chef Schaefer.
In culinary the students learn all about food- its origins, history, and many different countries’ cuisines. Then, once a month, the students get to actually cook food for the entire class period. First, Schaefer will show the students the whole recipe and cook it for them the class period before the actual cooking day. This really helps the students see exactly what to do with all of the ingredients and make sure nothing is confusing. Then, the students are prepared and ready to cook on their own in groups of 4-5 kids. While being supervised, they cook for about an hour and then clean up and enjoy their delicious meal.
The first food Chef Schaefer’s students cooked was a dessert called monkey bread, then they made crispy chicken tenders with homemade ranch, and next week they will be making homemade mac and cheese. Sophomore Kamryn Gregory, a culinary student, especially loved the monkey bread.
“The Monkey bread sauce was really good and the bread was very soft, which tasted really good when we combined them,” Gregory comments.
Another student, sophomore Jaylee Holland, liked the flavor and texture of her chicken tenders.
“I loved the chicken tenders because they were very crispy and crunchy,” Holland says. “The homemade ranch made the chicken tenders even better because it added a lot of flavor.”
Along with learning about food and making it, the students are learning valuable lessons in the kitchen like knife safety, food safety and sanitation, and various techniques when cooking. This knowledge will help all of the students in the future whenever they are cooking meals.
Another benefit of cooking in the kitchens with other kids is it helps students learn how to work with and around their peers.
Schaefer’s goal for her students is to help them learn to love to cook and bake delicious food.
“I try to balance the foods kids want to eat with nutritional and educational lessons,” Schaefer explains.
While the students love learning everything about food, making it is even better.
“I like this culinary class because we get to cook something new and yummy every month,” Holland said.
