well as their awareness of healthy eating. Today’s Lifestyle Management class topic is antioxidants. Students are given a handout listing high-antioxidant foods high such as cocoa, blueberries, apples and pecans. They’re making a smoothie.
“This is a new recipe,” Riley tells them. “So I’m open to creative suggestions. We’re going to be practicing our knife skills, so cut the kiwi fruit into small dice, and cut the orange sections from between the membranes.”
“Sometimes I use recipes from cookbooks,” she tells me. “But usually I make them up so that there’s something for everyone to do.” Signs of Riley’s professional training are everywhere. Students prepare their mise en place, a French term meaning “put in place.” Usually referred to by cooks as “meese,” in the kitchen it means having everything measured and at hand before beginning. The towel dispenser in every kitchenette displays a sign with titles for each member of the team: Sous Chef, Commis, Sanitor, Supplier — classic (again, French) professional kitchen positions, although the list of duties for each is geared to these classes. Riley’s goal isn’t to produce a flock of chef wannabes, though. Many of her students watch the Food Network and “reality” cooking shows and begin class excited about becoming celebrity chefs. She tells them what I’ve told several culinary hopefuls: Before spending money on culinary school, get a job in a restaurant — a real restaurant where they’re actually cooking food, not opening stuff in cyrovac bags and nuking it in microwaves. It can be exciting and satisfying, but it’s hard work — and it’s not like the TV shows, reality or not. The smoothie’s a healthy recipe with fruit, soy milk, honey and topped with flax seeds the students grind themselves. Still, there’s a dollop of luxury in the (real) cream topping hand-whipped by the students — another technique learned. While sipping their drinks, Riley asked everyone’s opinion. Most liked it, but for those who didn’t, comments like “weird” wouldn’t suffice. Students spent the end of class analyzing what was good, what could be improved or changed and coming up with variations. Like that old adage that says if you give someone a fish, you feed them for a day; if you teach them to fish, you’ve fed them for life, these students learned more than a recipe.
Riley is teaching her kids things beyond cooking, however. She wants them to learn, understand and creatively and critically think, not just about recipes, but about all aspects of food: how it affects and is affected by the environment, health, culture, agribusiness and even politics.
“So… probiotics,” she tells that first class. “Those are good bacteria, the kind you want in your gut. They fight off bad bacteria and keep you from getting sick, and can also help with lactose intolerance.”
Food for Thought students spend three weeks on a Local Food Project. The goals include: - To understand the relationship of food, health, community and the environment - To research the variety of foods grown or produced within a 150-mile radius - To determine outlets of locally grown foods and better understand the community we live in - To research the value of a diverse diet and a diverse agriculture During the project, students independently seek out local food sources. “They’re amazed to find places to buy berries or eggs or vegetables just down the road from them,” Riley says. They’ll take a field trip to the original The Land Connection farm, one of Illinois’ most active organizations devoted to sustainable agriculture.
And finally, they’ll write a reflective essay answering such questions as, “As consumers, how do we help protect the environment by seeking out foods that are grown close to home?” and, “How does living in a location surrounded by a diverse agricultural landscape help us maintain a diverse diet?” Riley’s been getting wider attention for what and how she teaches. Some Chicago schools are looking at her curriculum to find ways they can incorporate it in their FCS classes. And in January, she was honored by Sauveur magazine for her efforts.
“I want to share my passion for American food culture and celebrate small farmer culture with my students,” says Riley. “I think the kids realize it’s very authentic for me.” Apparently so. There are far more students wanting to take Riley’s classes these days than there are places for them. You go, girl!
Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].
