Junior chefs graduate from West Suburban Community Pantry cooking class

The West Suburban Community Pantry recently hosted a five-week cooking class for junior chefs taught by Lisa Mills, a community educator from the University of Illinois Extension, for children aged 8-13. The program taught participants to prepare sustainable, nutritious and budget-friendly meals.

Attendees received lunch, a snack and a recipe ingredient to take home. Graduates now have a greater ability to eat healthily at home. The program encouraged children to develop their own meals with easy-to-access nutritious, budget-friendly and easy-to-prepare foods. Many of the children tried certain fruits and vegetables for the first time and learned about their nutritional value.

Upon graduation, the junior chefs received a cookbook of all the recipes prepared over the five weeks of class.