Students at John B. Dey Elementary School are becoming culinary connoisseurs thanks to the culinary club led by chef Debbie Cathey and baker/cook Lisa Mozingo.
The club is held once a week for six weeks, and the club will repeat sessions throughout the year so other students may take part. Currently, the club has 11 students. However, word is spreading fast at John B. Dey about the delicious dishes that students are making and eating, so there’s sure to be a waiting list for the next session.
Junior Chef Culinary Clubs are currently underway in many elementary and secondary schools, including Arrowhead, Brookwood and College Park, to name a few others. With the help of club leads, students learn about nutrition, healthy foods, table etiquette and sustainability.
Brookwood Elementary’s Junior Chef Club students recently collaborated with Princess Anne High School Hospitality and Catering class students. They created modern Asian cuisine while engaging in mentor-mentee activities, such as learning safe knife handling methods, sushi rolling and scratch dumpling making techniques.
The focus of the John B. Dey club involves all things culinary from how to properly set a table and kitchen safety to making marinara from scratch and creating an appetizing charcuterie board arrangement.
“When Food Service offered the opportunity to start the culinary club, it was a dream come true,” Cathey said.
The goal of the club is to “think outside the box when cooking,” literally. Cathey wants students to embrace a farm to table and scratch cooking mindset. Culinary Club participants use vegetables from the school garden.
Cathey and Mozingo also show students how to take advantage of turning leftovers into a subtly nuanced new dish to reduce food waste.
“It has been so rewarding,” Mozingo said. “We love our jobs and the children.”
You can find students in the culinary club preparing cheesy garlic bread, making ranch dressing from scratch, or baking cut sugar cookies to turn them into ice cream sandwiches with a variety of toppings. These are just a few examples of the appetizing creations enjoyed by students in the club.
The Culinary Club at John B. Dey Elementary School is certainly a tasty and engaging learning experience for all involved. Take a look at these student reviews from fifth graders:
“I love to better my culinary skills. We made a bunch of good stuff. My favorite was the marinara sauce. Chef Debbie taught me to eat with my eyes.” — Charlotte Dillard
“I wanted to do this club because I’m always asking my mom if I can cook. My favorite dish was the pasta sauce.” — Amaia Suris-Rodrigez
“You get to make foods you really want to try. I wanted to try new things that I hadn’t had before. The garlic bread was my favorite.” — Rylee Durant, 5th grader at Dey ES
Leyla R. Caralivanos is a reading specialist at John B. Dey Elementary School.
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