Taste-testing veggies and practicing sautéing

We were met with smiles, energy, and enthusiasm, along with questions about what we were going to cook today. "I want an important job," Tierrell Perry announced. Cutting various vegetables for the pasta dish and a salad did not meet his criteria for said "important job," but after a demonstration of smashing garlic, he beamed. "That's the job for me!" - Sylvia Wilson and Ruth Biemer

The little chefs couldn't wait to whip up such a foreign dish. While they were cleaning the counter as they worked, Jadee Deleon accidentally pushed some food onto the ground. Precious Salazar-Ramirez questioned her, asking, "Do you push food on the floor at your house?" As the chefs sat down to eat, Joel Morales proudly stated, "We were working in there like master chefs." When asked how the dish tasted, Justin Lebron exclaimed, "Quite minty."

- Nicole Molino, Nicole Jackson

Ruqayya Nasir learned that garlic is "sticky." Raven Davies thought it was spicy. Saniyyah Mack liked the pasta best because she likes whole wheat.

Ajai Bogan-El knew from experience he didn't like tomatoes, but we asked that he please try them again. With a thoughtful look, he asked if he could have a cup of water next to him to "help hide the flavor, just in case." He took the tiniest bite out of the tiniest grape tomato he could find, and then took a not-so-tiny drink of water. "Well?" I asked. "Nope, still don't like tomatoes," Ajai sighed. And that was that. We're glad he tried, anyway!

- Lisa Krader and Linda Todorow

This week was great! The boys really enjoyed the pasta and the salad. The crew this year is different than last session, as they are all on the quiet side.

- Che Che and Joe Bradbury

"This looks like a fancy restaurant meal!" Kaylah Nobrun exclaimed. The colors and textures of our pasta and salad dishes were pleasing to all. Red, yellow, and orange peppers for our salad were tasted side by side to determine if they actually had different flavors, not just different colors. We all agreed that there were subtle differences between the peppers. As we finished our meal, the young chefs made promises to cook this meal at home for their families. Fingers crossed!

- Cindy Rappoport

We let everyone taste the vegetables raw, and then again to see how they were transformed by cooking. Elias Figueroa thought "cherry tomato" sounded like a funny name, but when he saw them, he understood that it was a tomato shaped like a cherry. Everyone loved their sweet taste. Talitha was brave enough to try garlic in its raw form. Her face told the story, but when the garlic was sautéing with the zucchini, it drew everyone to inhale the aroma. Both the pasta and salad were big hits with our kids, and, happily, there was enough to take home to share with their families.

- Kristin Stitz, Dana Srodes

Look out, Philly, we have some future chefs coming! This week's meal was a real hit for the students, as well as the volunteers! While preparing the meal, Jasmin De Jesus was very impressed with her sautéing skills, and she became confident with her spatula flipping of the zucchini. All of our students showed an improvement in their confidence and skill with handling the tools of the kitchen. Luis Chavez and William De Leon did a superb job peeling and cutting the zucchini. When we all sat down to enjoy our meal, Aslenny Valerio said - before we had even started eating - "I am totally having seconds!" After eating her first plateful, that is exactly what she did. Overall, today's meal was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone! The biggest testament to its success: There was not a piece of penne left.

- Patricia Farrell

The fifth graders agreed with Andrea Cuadra's statement that this week's recipe had "its own unique flavors." After convincing them there wasn't any real wine in the red wine vinegar, they enjoyed combining the ingredients and watching them emulsify. They felt the dressing tasted too strong and sour, so we discussed various methods of adjusting it in the future. The pasta was judged as "awesome and delicious." The girls were surprised that the combination of ricotta and vegetables resulted in such a rich creamy sauce. Natasha Carvalho said the program "should be in every school to help kids in the future," and everyone nodded in agreement.

- Jane Pupis, Susan Munafo

Nakiya Fant-Sally was hesitant to try a pasta dish that did not have red sauce. Andre Bowie thought it was interesting to add mustard to a salad dressing. Once we sat down to eat, Nakiya was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy the pasta. Kaleem Cooper really enjoyed the texture the ricotta added to the pasta. We thought the pasta could use some more garlic and crushed red pepper, but it was a big hit! The salad had mixed reviews. Andre Slaughter felt the salad was OK, but a little bitter, while Makai Moore said: "I've never liked salad, but I definitely like this salad!"

- Jessica Plank, Ilene Miller