These high school students are learning to minimize food waste as they cook
It's not every high school student who knows how to break down a whole chicken, or whip up stock from vegetable scraps.
But as the price of food continues to grow, students in Assumption College Catholic High School's culinary program are learning how to make delicious meals and limit kitchen waste along the way.
"I think that's really important because this class emphasizes not wasting food a lot, even when it comes to scraps of vegetables or scraps of different meats," said Grade 11 student Yakhin Abdulmoula. "So, absolutely almost nothing goes to waste in our class."
The class cooks for the school's cafeteria, a program that began last year. Teacher and chef Diane Nehmetallah says it's been a huge hit, both with the students in the class and the student body, which gets to enjoy a delicious meal for a great price.
A complete meal — on Thursday, whole wheat pasta and marinara sauce with whole wheat garlic bread — is priced at about $6.
"It's kind of just an enjoyable moment for both the servers and for the students to get something that they enjoy," said Sarah Krahn, a Grade 12 student, of cooking for fellow students. "And we love giving that back to the students."
Nehmetallah says she began learning to cook at a young age, and is a chef herself. Now, she says its important for her to teach her students not only how to cook, but about the importance of food.
She says she appreciates the skills students are learning are "so transferrable" beyond the classroom.
"The kids love this program ... They're skills. I also think perspective is important and knowing where your food comes from," she said.
Yakhin Abdulmoula, Elizabeth Tontteh and Sarah Krahn, students in the Assumption College Catholic High School culinary program. The program teaches students how to cook, as well as food safety and handling skills and how to minimize waste while cooking. (Amy Dodge/CBC)
While the price of food and budget for the program is not something students worry about, she says she is mindful to teach them about avoiding waste whenever possible.
"So we don't waste anything. Like today we make carrot cookies, so we [wash] and peel, we keep the peel and we make stock with it," she said.
And it's a lesson students are learning: Elizabeth Tontteh says she's aware the cost of food is going up
"We can see how grocery stores have increased their prices, especially with fruits and vegetables," Tontteh said. "We can really see a difference with that."
The students say the class has expanded their palettes as they learn from Nehmetallah and each other, with a diverse student population.
"You really get to open up you palette to those different flavours and those different experiences," said Krahn.
Nehmetallah says there's things regular consumers can learn and do to combat the price of groceries: She recommends buying in bulk when possible, a swell as shopping sales to form the basis of what you'll cook around.
