Partnership with Bitter Lake Community Center - Cooking for Teens

Bitter Lake Community Center is offering cooking lessons this summer, thanks to a partnership with The Polytech, a private high school that continues working with students through age 26 to assist with the transition to college, career, and adulthood. With funding from Bright Future Dollars for Scholars, there is no cost to students or families, and all ingredients, equipment and the technology to stream classes is available at the community center. Chef Mina provides instruction and models the techniques she describes from her professional kitchen while students cook the same recipes at Bitter Lake (or from home in your own kitchen, as The Polytech has previously offered instruction). Teens cooking together in pairs at the community center after their sports camps provides a fun social environment where they can learn about nutrition and how to shop economically at the same time they learn to cook. An additional benefit is that the first class includes instruction in food safety and students take the state’s online test to get their Food Worker Card, valid for 2 years and enabling them to work in restaurants, day care facilities, retirement community homes, and many other organizations where food and beverages are present. For more information, please contact Reza Khastou, administrator of The Polytech and the driving force behind the summer culinary arts collaboration. He can be reached via email at reza.khastou@thepolytech.com.