Cooks in the making

Ran on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Cooks in the making

Area youngsters can head back to the classroom this summer to become ...

By Keighla Schmidt

Leader-Telegram staff

Too many cooks may spoil the broth - but not the Dirt Bites. What's Cooking classes, which provide an opportunity for children to spend time in the kitchen, attract a mix of ages. "It's a fun way to have kids follow direction," said Marge Ongna, or "Mrs. O," who teaches the classes. Five- to 12-year-olds learn new skills and practice ones they learned during the school year, Ongna said. Reading recipes, following directions, learning kitchen safety and cooperating as a team are some of the skills Ongna hopes to teach or enhance with the program. The Eau Claire Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department offers the classes in partnership with the Eau Claire school district. Students recently became acclimated to their classroom "kitchen" at DeLong Middle School by embarking on a utensil hunt. Each apron-donning chef-in-the- making received a cookbook. During the class, which started June 11 and runs through Monday, they will learn to make nachos, cookie pizza and Dirt Bites, which blend together melted chocolate chips and cereal. The students also learn kitchen safety. Ongna teaches them how to respect sharp kitchen knives, ovens and microwaves. "It helps them academically and in life skills in the kitchen," Ongna said. "This is just a real fun way to do that." Ongna, of Eau Claire, previously taught third grade and a summer cooking class, both in Menomonie. A mix of boys and girls are enrolled in What's Cooking. "I thought it would be a neat way for a 10-year-old to learn how to cook," said Tiffany Weiss of Eau Claire, whose son, Jake, participates in the class. "My son is excited about the class. He said, 'Does this mean I can try to cook something by myself?' " Emma Anderson, 9, of Eau Claire enjoys the class. She said she appreciates being able to do things without the teacher's assistance. "We get to do all our own stuff," she said. "It's a little hard, but we work together." Another session will be offered later this summer. Kids ages 6 to 10 can enroll in Culinary Creations, while 5- and 6-year-olds can sign up for Fun With Food. For the Fun With Food class, Ongna plans to read a story to the students and apply it through a correlating food item. While the reading list is tentative, she hopes to read "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and have children make "cheeseburgers" using vanilla wafer cookies.