This article was written by Chris Dreifelds, Team Lead at Pathways Kingston.
The Pathways Chef program provides an opportunity for students to develop confident cooking skills and learn about healthy eating, and gets the whole family together to prepare the food in their homes. Led by Pathways Kingston staff member Kayla Verot, students look forward to connecting online each week where they can share in a common interest and learn about different cultural cuisines. Hear the powerful testimonials from both parents and students.
Dear Kayla,
I really enjoyed this cooking class! My favourite dish that we have made was the burgers!! They were so good!!!! I really did enjoy the class and I would love to do it again and I had lots of fun doing it.
I really enjoyed cooking, it was actually something that I want to do as a future career. I want to one day own a restaurant and maybe have my own franchise out of it and get on the map. I also appreciate how you were so supportive and talked us through the process and answered any questions I have had.
I really enjoyed being in the kitchen and my other favourite dish was the butter chicken, I really liked it. When you were talking us through every step of the way, it made things a little bit easier.
Sincerely,
PC CHEF Participant (Gr. 12)
Kayla,
I have been through Pathways in the past and have graduated in 2017 from the program. Being with Pathways gave me some of the best memories of my life.
I have watched my brothers and cousin cook and enjoy their time in the kitchen and that has been an amazing experience for me because I love watching them have fun. There were also a few times where I stepped in to help in the kitchen and I had fun myself.
For sure, my favourite meal (aside from the burgers) was the fajitas and pita chips that I had from the cooking. I liked seeing the pride on their face as they looked at their creation. It was truly a fantastic moment in life.
If this program continued in the future, it would mean my youngest brother would get a chance to do this as well and I would definitely like to see him happy to cook again. He has so many ideas for what you can do and I think they sound awesome. (Hint, hint, it includes another recipe from my mom). I would also love to enjoy eating the food that was made by them.
I would also like to say that Kayla was awesome with the kids. She took it easy and encouraged them to take it easy if they were behind. She allowed them to flourish and grow in the kitchen and become incredible junior chefs.
From,
Pathways Alum, sister to PC CHEF Participant (gr. 12)
Kayla,
I didn’t get to do much cooking, but I did have fun when I got to help out. I will be starting Pathways this September and I am looking forward to all the fun I will have.
I hope in the future that you will come back and do the cooking course again so I can take it myself. I like cooking a lot and I would like to be able to make a lot of new things for my family.
So far, my favourite food were the burgers and not just because it was my mom’s recipe and the fajitas with the pita chips. I LOVED THOSE!!!!!! If you do, do it in the future, I have so many ideas of what we can cook that I would like to try. Something like meatballs with cheese inside, pulled pork, my mom’s potato salad, ice cream sundaes, homemade chicken noodle soup with veggies, steak stir-fry’s, homemade egg rolls, homemade cabbage rolls, and dumplings.
Please keep this going because I really want to do this. I had so much fun helping my brother and my cousin in the kitchen, it was a fun experience.
Thank you,
PC CHEF Observer (Gr. 8), Future Pathways Student, brother to PC CHEF Participant (Gr. 12)
Kayla,
I am a parent of a child who attends Pathways to Education. I have had two other children who have attended, and my niece is also attending. My youngest will start in September 2021. I am so happy with this program and all the benefits that my children have received.
This year my son had an opportunity to do the PC Chef Program. My son wants to own his own restaurant one day so he was excited to be able to participate in this class. I watched my son learn new things in the kitchen every week. He was excited to cook these meals for his family. Kayla kept the kids engaged and always answered their questions. Even if he was behind, she would keep encouraging him and the other students and wait if they needed. The kids all participated and communicated. He looked forward every week to the next meal. My youngest son also loved to help out when possible.
I really hope that you can continue this program in the future. My youngest is excited to be able to participate on his own. My son learned to read a recipe, how to combine ingredients, how to use the stove, and follow along. He was excited to try the new meals every week. He was excited to work with ingredients he hasn’t used before. He was also happy to supply them with our own recipe for homemade cheeseburgers.
Our family is very grateful for this opportunity and are really hoping that this program may continue in the future. Thank you so much for this experience for my children.