Emma Bellantoni, Campus Carrier staff writer
The Teaching Kitchen program began as a way for Dining Services to create learning experiences for students. Dining General Manager Sam Cooper said that Berry has a full culinary staff on hand, so there were resources to offer these programs.
“We get to incorporate learning experiences in our dining program and present it to students,” Cooper said. “It’s also a chance for them to engage with some of our staff, ask questions of our chef and just connect them a little bit more with our dining team, and they get to socialize as well.”
Executive Chef Shawn Lawrence believes it is important to offer a program like this at Berry because cooking is a survival skill.
“Everybody should be taught the basics,” Lawrence said. “Say they couldn’t come to the dining hall or they have access in their dorms to cook, it’s a good way to impart a little bit of knowledge.”
Lawrence said there has been many Teaching Kitchen classes focusing on how to make sushi rolls, pancakes and omelettes as well as how to decorate cookies and cakes. The different classes are chosen from student feedback.
“A lot of it is chosen off of feedback that we get from students,” Cooper said. “Like future skills that they want to learn or stuff that our staff specializes in.”
Lawrence believes that the students enjoyed the Teaching Kitchens after they got over some initial apprehension.
“Once you kind of got [students] in there, hands on, touching things, getting involved and messing up a couple times, they seem to really enjoy doing it,” Lawrence said. “We’ve gotten really good, positive feedback.”
Junior Yasaira Bosquez also attended both the sushi and cake decorating Teaching Kitchens. She liked both the type of cuisine and the chance to learn simple skills in cooking.
“I really liked it because it was the first time I’ve officially made sushi,” Bosquez said. “And they gave you everything you needed to make them, [and even] let you keep the little roll thing to roll the sushi.”
Bosquez said that the instructor went through the recipe step by step. They provided the ingredients for students and showed them how to do it first.
“He showed you at first how to lay the rice on the seaweed, then you get to choose whatever you wanted on it,” Bosquez said. “And then he taught everybody how to roll. And he would go around helping people tighten it.”
Junior Harvey Patel learned a lot from the classes she attended. During the sushi class, she was surprised by the amount of water required to make the dish. Patel was not aware that the stickiness of the rice would cause her to drench her hands in water.
“That’s a useful skill because now I make my own sushi in my dorm, and it’s really helpful,” Patel said. “I remember what they told me about how to cut the ingredients, like avocados and carrots and stuff.”
When cake decorating, Patel learned a lot of piping techniques. She felt it was cool that she got to keep the cake she decorated at the end of the class.
Cooper believes that the students like the opportunity to interact with the chefs and their culinary skills.
“Some of them are interested in the culinary world and want to pick up new cooking skills,” Cooper said. “I have several students that come up to me and they’re like, ‘Well, now I know how to make my own pancakes, or now I know how to make my own omelets or roll sushi.’ They just think it’s very cool.”
Patel likes the bond the classes create between the staff and the students.
“I think it’s also a way for the dining hall staff to bond with the students,” Patel said. “The baker when she came in, she was the one leading the teaching kitchen, and now I say hi to her.”
The Teaching Kitchens are relatively new to Berry. Prior to Lawrence’s time, the program happened once a semester.
“Now we’re doing one every month,” Lawrence said. “We’re always open to feedback too, if it’s doable, we can do it in that in that room.”
The Teaching Kitchen programs have recently expanded from teaching students to working with Berry alumni.
“We’ve been working with the alumni team,” Cooper said. “We’ve actually been taking part of the furthering education program, where we’ve actually been doing some of the same teaching kitchens with former alumni of Berry College.”
Those interested in the Teaching Kitchen can follow @berrydining on Instagram for updates on the next event.