Students put their cutting skills to use, mixing bowls accumulate ingredients, and Senior Square slowly transforms into a pop-up kitchen. After school, the PPCHS Culinary Club teaches students various kitchen skills and new recipes they can bring home.
This club has been a part of Pines Charter for several years, as senior club president Stacey Fung remembers “[her] sister doing virtual meetings [during Covid-19].” However, about three years ago, the Culinary Club became very inactive.
Fung explains, “[there was] only one meeting that entire year and [there was no] board for the next year.” Because of this, Fung decided to revive the club and take it over during her sophomore year.
Since then, the Culinary Club has gained heavy attraction from students of all grade levels.
“[Culinary] gives me the opportunity to try new things, step out of my comfort zone, and learn how to cook as well,” says senior Zyra Rodriguez. The welcoming environment allows members to feel comfortable if they make mistakes and lets their creativity guide their recipes.
Besides learning about new cuisines, this club is meant to be enjoyable and something students look forward to at the end of the day. The board hopes that Culinary will ease any stress members have, promote teamwork, and teach the importance of maintaining a good nutritional balance.
Taking note of the successful turnouts from last year’s meetings, such as their sushi-making session, the board made sure to plan unique yet on-theme events for this year.
“I really enjoyed [the acai bowls] event because of how useful it is to someone who doesn’t eat breakfast all the time,” Fung expresses.
During this first meeting, members blended bananas, milk, and frozen acai packets topped with their favorite fruits to make this refreshing meal.
Senior and historian Meghan Chin says, “My favorite event so far has been the pumpkin pancakes event because, compared to the acai bowl-making event, everybody was able to participate more when they made their own pancakes!”
At their October meeting, students got together to make and decorate festive pancakes. The combination of pumpkin, applesauce, cinnamon, and other ingredients put the club members right in the autumn mindset.
Recently, the club made guacamole to highlight an appetizer that might appear at a Thanksgiving dinner. Students were taught by club sponsor Sunshine Phelps and then repeated her peeling, cutting, and mashing of a variety of ingredients such as avocados, tomatoes, and more.
In addition to in-person meetings, if a member makes a dish at home, they are encouraged to share it on the club’s Instagram for everyone to see.
“[My] favorite food to make [at home] is tacos, picadillo, empanadas, or anything that has to do with baking, like sourdough,” says Rodriguez. Not only does the organization allow members to test out tasty recipes for their family and friends, but it is also a way for them to further connect with their cultures.
Yet, behind all the fun dishes, the club deals with its own set of challenges. This year in particular, Culinary took note of the lack of power and outlets they have when hosting meetings. Moreover, their most notable hardship has been trying to accommodate all their members. Chin emphasizes that they have “been trying our best to address this issue by having simpler activities that allow us to open up our member limit.”
As the year continues, the Culinary Club hopes every member gains a new perspective on food—one recipe at a time.
