Specialties Gourmet teaches the students of the 21st Century After School Summer Program at Belle Vue Middle School healthy cooking!

The program curriculum was designed by Chef Matrell and included healthy recipes and cooking techniques to support the lifestyle of students with Diabetes. The students learned to make appetizers, soups, salads, main entrees and desserts all of which were low in fat, low in calories and practically sugar free. Chef Matrell taught two classes per day four days a week. The students ages ranged between 10 - 15 and all were either entering middle school, enrolled in middle school, or moving on to high school in the fall.

"Teaching these students has been the highlight of my career. I truly grew to love them all, and I will miss them very much." Chef Matrell expressed. "Putting together a class structure that would allow each student to participate and learn was very challenging, but it all went very well. I had the opportunity to introduce the kids to foods they had never been exposed to and they loved it! We made dishes from every part of the world to include Crunchy Couscous with Apricots and Almonds, Nutty Quesadillas, and Polenta with Fresh Tomato Salsa. The kids were really cooking! They blew me away!"

The slide show below shows the students of the 21st Century After School Program @ Belle Vue Middle School in action.

Chef Matrell taught the students the importance of food safety and sanitation, and how to read and apply the new FDA Food Pyramid in their everyday lives. She also taught them about Diabetes in terms of what the disease is and how they could control it in most cases through proper diet and exercise. In addition to teaching healthful cooking and menu planning, Chef Matrell taught the students to properly set the dinner table, set up a dinner buffet, and how to identify and use kitchen equipment and small wares.

Hats off to the 21st Century After School Summer Program for giving your students the opportunity to learn to cook healthy meals.

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Student Photo Gallery
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Foods Produced By The Students

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Appetizers

Cheese and Fruit Kabobs

Soups & Salads

Black Bean and Rice Salad
Pizza Pasta Salad
Poppy seed Fruit Salad
Sweet Potato, Apple and Spinach Salad

Entrees

BBQ "Meatloaf" Bake
Citrus Pepper Steak
Easy Baked Parmesan Meatballs
Nutty Quesadillas
Baked Snapper & Tropical Salsa
Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps
Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken

Side Dishes

Creamy Sweet Whipped Carrots
Crunchy Couscous
Fresh Vegetable Saute
Polenta with Fresh Tomato Salsa
Un-fried French Fries

Desserts

Student Competition

During the last week of the program, we held a student "Iron Chef Competition" where the students had the opportunity to show their family, friends, and administrators their new cooking skills.
While one team in each class was deemed the victor, I believe all of the students were winners!

Chef Matrell