MeckTeen Chefs

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The MeckTeen Chefs is an eight-week program formed in partnership with Executive Chef Susanne Dillingham, business owner of “The Tiny Chef.” The MeckTeen Chefs, a culinary arts program consisted of eight students, ages 11-17, from three of Mecklenburg County’s fragile and threatened communities. The course outline began with basic and proper handling techniques of various knives and their usage, kitchen dynamics, safety, and sanitation. The participants received a wealth of instruction and hands-on learning regarding food preparation and storage, ingredient substitutions, measurement conversions and equivalents, as well as calorie and nutritional guides. They also learned how to read menus and prepare world cuisine, stocks, sauces, soups, and deserts. At the end of the eight-week program, the MeckTeen Chefs used their new skills to prepare an exquisite four-course meal for their families, friends, and volunteers.