In February, students at IndED gathered around a table with cooking tools, eggs and sprigs of herbs. Time was against them as they split, sliced, melted and cracked. Their proud mentor, Chef Maria, stood by as her pupils put their newly-acquired skills to the test.
It was the culmination of IndED’s six-week cooking class, “The Incredible, Edible Egg”, led by Cooking with Fun owner, Maria. Taking a hands-on approach to learning, this course used the egg and the many ways of preparing it to teach young students the basics of cooking. Homemade mayonnaise, baked eggs Florentine and eggs benedict are a few of the dishes students learned to cook as part of this course. This was a fantastic way to introduce our students to cooking, since the egg is inexpensive, high in protein and other nutrients, and incredibly versatile.
On that sunny Wednesday in February, the course had reached the climactic moment: a cooking competition, where each student presented a dish to our guest judges. Awards were given for taste, presentation and technique. The students were responsible for choosing which dish to make, acquiring the ingredients (with the help of a parent, of course), and executing the dish correctly.
Amidst the busy clatter and excited banter, Chef Maria’s students demonstrated skills with dicing, sautéing and poaching. One student even whipped up his own hollandaise sauce, which is no small achievement for any cook. At the end of the hour allotted for cooking, the beautiful egg-centric dishes were presented at the judges’ table by our beaming young cooks.
To learn more about this and other exciting classes hosted by IndED, explore more of our website at www.inded.us! You’ll find information about getting started with independent education, fun courses that are available and how homeschooling might be a great option for your child.
IndED would like to express our special thanks to our judges, Tony Howard and Daniela Williams, for taking time out of their busy schedules to support our students. Tony Howard is the President and CEO of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. Daniela Williams is a professional chef and the owner of Cucinamore.
