25 young chefs prepare a garden-fresh feast in the Biola University kitchen
Last week, 25 young chefs from the Biola community joined our culinary team and Healthy Kids educator Carrie Cullen at Biola University to learn about healthy food. The kids’ enthusiasm made it an unforgettable evening.
Class started with a lesson on the difference between processed and unprocessed food; concluding that while processed foods are okay sometimes, too many “factory” foods can slow down our bodies and make us feel sick. Kids had a chance to test their knowledge with a flashcard game of “processed or unprocessed?” A sea of smiles and cheers greeted each photo of “real” fruits and vegetables, while “boos” echoed in response to each processed food. At the sight of chicken nuggets on a flashcard, one boy shouted in disgust, “those are just processed pink sludge!” Our chefs were so impressed by the group’s enthusiasm for healthy choices!
After all that discussion about healthy food, the group was ready to close their eyes, count to three, and taste-test dragon fruit and Executive Chef Amine Boussaksou’s roasted fennel. The group unanimously decided that the fennel both smelled and tasted…like pizza! Dragon fruit was also a big hit, especially after some kids concluded the colorful fruit gave them “the power of a dragon.”
After washing up, it was the moment everyone was waiting for: time to get cooking! We started with “real food” garden tacos and fresh salsa. The group was fascinated by Chef Amine’s pico de gallo demonstration, watching in delight as each ingredient spun around the mixing bowl. The delight continued as Chef Amine taught everyone how to use the “safety claw,” to chop their own tomatoes and peppers. Chef Amine taught how to best assemble tacos with colorful “real food” toppings such as corn, avocados, purple cabbage, and, of course, our homemade pico de gallo! After piling their own colorful tacos high, the kids were having so much fun they decided to make extra tacos for their parents and siblings.
After a lesson on the importance of color variety on our plates we assembled rainbow fruit kabobs for dessert. Chef Amine gave a reminder about knife safety and taught everyone how to cut kiwis, oranges, and strawberries. Beautiful kabobs and tacos in hand, kids sat down for a picnic and asked Chef Amine all their questions about being a chef, including What do you like to cook for breakfast? What’s the best meal you’ve ever made? and Is cooking with raw meat gross? The group loved connecting with Chef Amine – one boy remarked to me, “thanks for bringing us such a cool chef!”
Chef Amine’s stardom grew when he announced that everyone would get to take home their own dragon fruit. The young chefs cheered and proudly showed off the spiky fruit to their parents, many proudly explaining their new culinary knowledge and prowess for nutrition. As we said our goodbyes, quite a few of the kids in attendance asked when we would all get to cook together again. After such a successful class, we hope that time will come again soon!