Students from the Oakland Schools Technical Campus? culinary arts program combined their cooking skills and love for kids to participate in ‘Cooking for Kids.?
‘Cooking for Kids? is affiliated with the American Culinary Federation. The program is to promote healthy nutritional information for younger people. Originally, the program was designed for elementary school students, however, the students at Oakland Technical decided to involve middle school students as well.
On Feb. 23, the campus opened the doors to 32 middle school students from Pierce Middle School in Waterford.
‘We bring the kids in and introduce them to our students,? said Deborah Trudeau, culinary arts/hospitality instructor. ‘The kids team up with the students and we teach them all kinds of things.?
The middle schoolers learned about many important aspects of the culinary world. They studied sanitation and how to create their own chef hats to wear along with their aprons, and toured the kitchen and school greenhouse.
The youngsters assisted in making the food, and were taught the proper way to approach a buffet line and wait their turn.
The kids were fortunate to receive tips from the technical campus students. They were taught the art of cooking, nutrition, and when the time came, tested on their dining room etiquette.
Oakland Technical students, along with instructors, demonstrated proper dining room manners, and involved the kids by having them set up the dining room, practice table manners and then take everything down.
‘The students had never been exposed to a nice dining room setting,? said Trudeau. ‘Their teachers really wanted them to experience that.?
Everyone in the Oakland Schools Technical Campus Culinary Arts program agreed that the day was a hit.
Oakland Technical Campus will host the next ‘Cooking for Kids? on March 23 with Mason Middle School.