Cooking Workshops Bring Together Elementary and High School Students
by Marilyn Santucci
Grade 6 students from Sunshine Academy participated in two cooking workshops led by culinary students from Pierrefonds Community High School, under the guidance of their teacher, Daniel Vanson.
“These workshops are incredible. I am so happy to be a part of them. Mr. Vanson is the best cooking teacher I have had, and he has given us so many opportunities to improve our skills. It’s also amazing that these Grade 6 students can learn about cooking at such a young age,” says Tessa Mendez Citrin, a Secondary 5 student and cooking mentor.
The first workshop, held on April 8th, focused on knife safety. Sunshine Academy students learned how to handle knives properly, with one-on-one support from the high school mentors. After mastering the basics, each group prepared a homemade ranch dip and practiced their new cutting skills by slicing vegetables to serve with it.
“Our students work really hard at learning and mastering different culinary skills in our culinary program. They really wanted to be able to share what they have learned and represent our school with the youth. This became a really great opportunity for our kids to not only share what they’ve learned but also become mentors in the community and with youth,” says Daniel Vanson, teacher at PCHS.
The second and final workshop took place on April 24th—and it was a pizza-making party! Sunshine students hopped on a bus and headed to PCHS, where they had the chance to team up with their mentors in a fully equipped kitchen. Working in groups, they began by crafting their dough from scratch. Step by step, their pizza bases took shape, and the excitement in the room kept growing. Then came the toughest decision of all: choosing their toppings. With everything from fresh veggies and cured meats to pineapple and plenty of cheese, the possibilities were endless. Each student created their own personalized pizza and waited patiently as their delicious creations baked to perfection. Once ready, it was pizza party time as they all enjoyed their delicious, homemade creations together, sharing laughs and proud smiles around the table.
“I love cooking and cook with my dad a lot and love being in a kitchen. I’ve never been in a kitchen this big and it’s so cool having this experience,” says Carter, a Grade 6 student.
