Master Chef of Strathmore

Times Contributor 

 

Strathmore is training some junior chefs that one day may rival TV celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey junior Master Chefs contestants.

Youth Club Coordinator Colina Clark said that the program would not be such a success without the great support of funders like Tina Shipley. She owns the No Frills grocery store and supplies the raw materials and gift cards from the store in Strathmore, to fuel the young chefs’ creation. 

“We have expanded our Creative Cook program and our Essential Edibles, which is our twice a week hot lunch program in our centre for the local junior and senior highs. She (Shipley) has been a tremendous sponsor. She has been our backbone, said Clark. “We are very appreciative of her and want to send out a big ‘thank you’ to her.” 

The club is funded by the Town of Strathmore, Wheatland County and various other donors from the community. The club has been running the cooking program for two years and other programs for four years.

The young master chefs are whipping up healthy, tasty meal components on a regular basis, with the help of supervision at the Strathmore Youth club. Cooking programs for age six to 17-year-olds are held on a regular basis at the Club on Brent Blvd.  Everything from luscious lunches, which teach teens how to make and pack their own brown bags, dinner menus, desserts and after meal snacks. There are a variety of themes and recipes. Clark said it helps them help out at home and lets them make nutritious snacks, rather than relying on preprocessed foods. Some of the snacks have been buffalo chicken wraps, spaghetti tacos and pepperoni pita pockets and ham and cheese crepes.

The next session is call Savoury Sweets and runs into December, preparing for Christmas. The New Year menu will focus on breakfast meals. 

They prepare, cook and eat their own cooking. Kitchen hygiene is a main component as well. The training is good preparation if the youth are interested in entering restaurant employment opportunities.  There is a staff member and parent volunteer for each class, but Clark said they are open to volunteers coming in to share their skills and teach classes as well. 

“We ask them to take at least one bit of what they prepare, it’s the one bite rule,” said Clark.

Classes run once a week for six weeks, usually run in the late afternoon or early evenings, and registration by the parent is required. There is also a Create a Cook Program that incorporates budgeting, purchasing and meal planning as well.

The cooking component programs have now expanded into the rural centres, and Clark said they are being well received. They have been held in Rockyford and Hussar and will soon be offered in Standard, Gleichen and Carseland.

There are many great programs offered by the club that don’t involve cooking, too. There is a four week Club Works program for 6-12 year olds that gives the child a sample of many different activities so they can see which ones they might like to enroll in on a longer basis. For teens, there are drop-in coffee nights, internet café, movie nights and recreational evenings. A senior teen leadership program is also featured giving goal strategies, people skills and affecting change. Their Halloween dance was held on Oct. 26 and it was a great success. 

There is also a new program coming to the Youth Club. Every day during Golden Hills School Division’s school days the clubs door’s will be open for the Intermission program. Over the lunch hour, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., the clubs door’s will be open for students to play foosball, air hockey and to just generally unwind before heading back to afternoon classes. 

Youth require adult signatures to sign in and out, unless permission slips are pre-arranged by parents. There are discounts for members and family units, including foster families.  Memberships are reasonable at $20 per child or $50 for families per year. 

For information call Colina Clark at 403-934-4918 or e-mail (info@youthclubofstrathmore.ca). There is some great information on their website (www.youthclubofstrathmore.ca).