This school year has seen many exciting developments in the kitchen. There have been many changes to the food, including a junior chefs program
and a new cooking club, which are run by OPPA! and OPPA! Instructor Shelby Sloan, and the Teen Chefs program, which is directed by Team OC.
Paoli is the first school in Indiana to implement it, and so far, it’s been the most successful OPPA! school in Indiana. This gives PHS the opportunity to try these new programs.
The Junior Chefs program is a project for elementary school kids with the goal of educating them on nutrition and basic cooking knowledge.
“The program is to teach kids that you can have fun with nutrition. It doesn’t have to be boring. On top of that, we’re able to teach those kids who don’t have somebody at home to be able to make a snack or meal. This is going to give them that little bit of knowledge to be able to set that, that standing ground, to be able to make a meal for themselves or even their siblings,” said Sloan.
Once an elementary teacher emails and asks to be included in the Junior Chefs program, the teacher and Sloan will choose the day and time that works best. On that chosen day, Sloan will typically give the class a tour of the kitchen and teach the kids about basic food and nutrition. The amount of time this takes depends on the class, but it will usually take around an hour.
“We’re also working on starting a cooking club up here as well. It’s going to be called the Ratatouille Rams, and it’s essentially going to be the same thing as junior chef except for the middle school and high school,” said Sloan.
This club will meet during homeroom and had its first meeting on Thursday, November 13.
Earlier this fall, the Teens Chefs Against Hunger Program was held, teaching cooking skills and providing air fryers to participants.
Team OC, which is a mentoring program, proposed this idea over a year ago, intending to provide students with the resources to eat a healthy meal
and also share this meal with their families.
Paoli is one of three schools with this program and has a total of 68 students from these three schools.
At each session, students will get the ingredients and instructions to make a meal. Then the students can take that meal home to feed their families. These students are also provided with the ingredients to make the meal a second time on their own at home.
Team OC is getting support from the Paoli and Orleans FFA. There is also a plan to start a garden in Orleans to help provide the Teen Chefs Program with fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices.
