Middle School Clubs Cook Up Appetizing Learning

From out of his reusable grocery bag, history teacher and chef extraordinaire (who knew?!) Bud Kohler produced avocados, cheese, mangoes, limes, cilantro, and more. A virtual Mexican fiesta!

Middle School eighth-graders proceeded to chop, dice, shred, and mash – and that was just the prep work for one dish. By the conclusion of their hour-long Cooking Club session, students had prepared empanadas, seven-layer dip, mango salsa, guacamole, and churros.

Once a month during the regular school day, club members – about 14 of them – meet to explore and create different culinary concoctions as introduced to them by Mr. Kohler, who also supplies the ingredients. Students get assigned different prepping tasks and ultimately get to take on, presumably, the best job of all – eating the end results.

“Time restraints limit what we can do. There’s not enough time for traditional baking, but kids get exposed to the basics in addition to trying spicy food that the cafeteria cannot offer,” explained Mr. Kohler, who added that his gastronomic selections usually involve an ethnic or technique theme.

Thus far, the Club has prepared Stromboli, cannoli, Peking ravioli, crab Rangoon, and Chinese Chow Mein. Mr. Kohler also mentioned a “cooking with waffle irons’ day” (on a day that his club did not have access to the kitchen) and several other undertakings. Cooking with “plenty of spices” also seems to be a staple for the group.

“Given the limited time, I just try to give the kids a chance to get away from the books and into the kitchen for some hands-on fun that also sparks talk about food,” explained Mr. Kohler. “I try to introduce the kids to ingredients and types of cooking that might broaden their tastes and encourage them to be a bit more active in their kitchen at home.”

The Cooking Club is just one of the Friday afternoon Middle School club offerings, which really exhibit the various hobbies and talents our teachers possess. Students have a variety of choices including yoga, juggling and magic, creative writing, French appreciation, MakerSpace, and trivia to name a few.

“We want the clubs to be engaging and meaningful, but they do not have to be completely academic. This gives teachers a chance to share an interest or passion with the students. Bud is an excellent cook, and he shares his love of cooking with the kids. When teachers share an authentic hobby, the kids respond to their genuine enthusiasm,” said Middle School Director Brian Christman.

In the works for the coming months in the Cooking Club is a to-go table in the cafeteria. Club members would serve their cuisine to their peers during lunch. A culminating activity may also be a cook-off competition at the end of the year.