Chef Dalton’s Foods II class had a lab day in the kitchen April 18. They spent the past week preparing, using the skills they’d practiced in Foods I. Maya Mitchell (12) took Foods I and II consecutively this year. 

“Foods I is more simple…common things that are for beginners and then Foods II is global foods around the world,” Mitchell said. 

Each cooking day is centered around a different country and its cultural cuisine. 

“[We] are in our India unit,” Dalton said. “They are making a gulab jamun cake, which is a rosewater cake; chicken tikka masala, which is chicken stewed in tomato and yogurt sauce; potato samosas, which is a little dough pocket filled with potatoes and peas; vegetable dal is a lentil side dish; naan, which is a garlic bread; and then biryani, which is a tumeric rice.”

In addition to learning the dishes and recipes of a country, students also take time to learn about the place’s culture. 

“The kids do a project on holidays in that country,” Dalton said. “And then we do geography maps so they know where their food is coming from. Then they pick a recipe and then plan a lab. And then we have a prep day and then a cook day.”

During their prep day, students gather with their groups to assign roles and designate responsibilities. They also must collect their supplies and ingredients to make their cooking day more efficient.

“First day we grab our ingredients, put them in the fridge [and] store them,” Mitchell said. “Second day we’ll cook and then we’ll do buffet style and we’ll eat.”