FITCHBURG — What’s for dinner?
That’s a common question asked in so many households.
Well, “Cooking Matters” — a cooking course offered to families in Fitchburg Public Schools — has helped those participating answer that all-too-common question.
For eight families in Fitchburg Public Schools, they received a first-hand experience in the kitchen during a free six-week course dubbed “Cooking Matters” at Memorial Middle School.
These families also got an opportunity to learn more about food nutrition, food preparation, understanding ingredient labels and then creating actual scrumptious and healthy dishes while on a budget.
“Students love the program because they love to cook,” said , Sue Tourigny, the school district’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers District Coordinator. “Parents love the program because they spend quality time with their child learning how to prepare healthy meals on a budget.”
These Cooking Matters classes make cooking fun, while also teaching parents and their children so much more about proper nutrition.
“I want them to have fun and takes steps to make an improvement at their own pace,” said Cooking Matters Program Coordinator Dan Salisbury, who was joined in teaching the classes by Cooking Matters Program Manager Jessica Caouette. “I want them to be able to be more confident in buying (groceries), making the right choices and for the kids to try new things. Hopefully the parents pick up a few tricks to save some money. My biggest thing is for everyone to at least learn one thing.”
This course makes for more adventurous eaters, while allowing everyone to improve their palettes. Each family had the opportunity to perfect a food dish in class and then were given a bag of groceries to take home and practice making a meal for their family.
Michelle Ocasio and her 7-year-old son, Javier Rosado, love the experience of cooking together in the class and also cooking at home.
“It’s fun; he loves it,” said Ocasio. “I’m grateful because he likes to cook. If anything he’s into it even more now. I appreciate the whole program. It’s really nice. It’s a great experience.”
Skills in the kitchen are also taught. Memorial Middle School eighth-grader Riley Baker learned a valuable piece of information during these classes.
“I learned how to use a knife properly,” she said.
Ocasio said learning to plan meals ahead of time and working within a budget is what she’ll take away most from this program.
“Making things ahead and have it saved without worrying that it’s going to go bad is very helpful,” she added.
Some of the food cooked during this program included mini pizzas on English muffins, cornflake crusted chicken fingers with sweet potato fries, meatballs, stir fry, apple crisp, brownies and chicken quesadillas.
“I liked the chicken nuggets,” said Reingold Elementary School fourth-grader Molly Maillet, who attended the classes with her grandmother, Dyan Ricciutti.
This is the fifth year that Fitchburg Public Schools has offered Cooking Matters, as part of the Family Engagement for the 21st Century Program.
Garner is the Fitchburg Public Schools’ communication coordinator.
