Families in the University Area have the opportunity to learn cooking skills that will help them put nutritious and tasty meals on the table.
The University Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) is offering free cooking classes at its Harvest Hope Center as part of its Get Moving program. The program takes a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Cooking With 5 Senses, a class for youth between the ages of seven and 14, takes place every Monday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It teaches kids how to prepare tasty and healthy food. The chef inspires students by teaching them to use all five senses when cooking.
Let’s Get Cooking, the adult version of the class, takes place on the fourth Friday of each month from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. It showcases the flexibility and versatility of all ingredients, including fresh vegetables families can pick right there in the community garden.
“We’ve incorporated this cooking class in with our organic garden,” said University Area CDC CEO Sarah Combs. “We made Pico de Gallo, so the kids see it, pick it, wash it and chop it up. It helps them understand the nutritional component and they learn about gardening.”
The children write everything in a journal, from ingredients to the final recipe, and talk about what they made. If there is enough produce, they take home ingredients along with their recipe so that they can teach their entire family how to make the dishes.
Any questions on the program can be directed to Ronnie Oliver at ROliver@UACDC.org or by calling 813-690-1457.
