So, for its latest quarterly Eat Well, Live Well cooking demonstration, the public health coalition Healthier Northshore – spearheaded by St. Tammany Health System – turned the kitchen classroom at the Bogalusa YMCA over to kids.
“We’re calling this one our ‘small-fry edition,’” St. Tammany Health System Director of Community Engagement Anne Pablovich said. “And I have to tell you, I love this. These kids are so into it. Cooking is a lifetime love, and these little chefs are doing such a great job.”
The gung-ho kid chefs, of course, were the stars of the show, but “Chopped” champ Chef Gavin Jobe of Meribo in Covington was the event’s MVP. Not only did he guide the participants through the preparation of jerked pork chops with roasted sweet potatoes and summer succotash – made from vegetables available in local gardens and groceries – but it came with a side order of culinary passion.
“As a kid, my interest in cooking was encouraged and fostered by my parents and grandparents. I just want to share that,” he said. “I feel like this is probably the most productive way a chef can give back.”
Of those in attendance, 15 kids got spots at one of five cooking stations in the YMCA’s kitchen. As in a professional kitchen, those at each were given a different task.
At one, they were asked to chop sweet potatoes. At another, they stripped kernels from corn cobs and marinated pork chops. Other stations had other responsibilities to prep the ingredients.
“It’s called ‘mise-en-place,’” Jobe told them. “This is the way we cook in the restaurant and the way I like to cook at home, too. We get all of our ingredients prepped, cut up, then we clean our stations and get ready to cook.”
An hour later, they and the 25 or so spectators in attendance got to sample their handiwork. The smiles said it all.
“This is great,” said Toni St. Philip, executive director of the Bogalusa YMCA. “I think it’s different when they do it themselves. Their parents could have cooked the same thing, but when they do it themselves, it makes a difference.”
Visit HealthierNorthshore.Health for more about the initiative, including dates for upcoming events.