The sense of empowerment was filling the room like the aroma of onions and garlic “sweating” in hot pans as Mentoring Matches created delicious meals during our Cooking Skills UPshop at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.
During this independent living skills workshop in the Co-op’s Cooking School and Community Learning Center, our youth learned more than basic kitchen techniques; they gained tools and resources that extend beyond any kitchen or classroom.
Chef Dave Nelson led our group with a passion for helping people go from being recipe followers to understanding how to combine flavors and cook with readily available ingredients. His excellent and fun instruction included knife skills, explaining herbs and spices of cultural flavors, and demonstrating general cooking techniques.
With sharp chef knives in hand, our youth sliced, diced and chopped herbs and veggies to prepare two very different meals: Mexican chicken tacos with corn tortillas and salsa as well as uniquely tasty curry potato tacos on naan bread with tzatziki sauce.
Chef Dave was joined by Co-op staff Dana and Julia, who assisted with meal preparation and led our group on a tour of the store prior to the actual cooking portion. It was an eye-opening experience as youth searched for items, like chips and candy, that are similar to name brands but made without artificial preservatives or flavors (as is the standard for all items sold at the Co-op). As a special treat, some of those items were opened for our group to sample, right in the middle of an aisle. Every section of the store was explored, with favorites being bulk foods, deli and produce.
This UPshop provided a wholistic approach into tasty, healthy eating and the skills to do so in a budget-friendly manner. Once the meals were prepared, Mentoring Matches dished their plates from a lovely buffet that they arranged. Our group then sat together at a large table and enjoyed their delicious efforts.
This UPshop was made possible by the Take Flight Grant generously awarded by Ticket to Dream Foundation. Thanks to Ticket to Dream, each participant enjoyed this incredibly useful workshop and also received a special apron, Co-op burlap shopper bag and teen cookbook as keepsakes to continue practicing what they learned.
We are thankful to our friends at Ticket to Dream Foundation and Natural Foods Co-op for making such an exciting and educational UPshop possible. We are also grateful and proud of our mentors for providing support that allowed their teens to feel confident in their new culinary roles.
