Grilled chicken over Caesar salad with home-made dressing and flame-toasted garlic bread may sound like an intimidating meal to prepare, but three students from Transitions Academy are making meals of this calibre each week thanks to a free adaptive cooking course.
“Cooking Confidently” was first offered by the Holyoke Community College MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2018, led by chef and Food Network producer Tracy Carter. Ms. Carter first offered the class as a paid course for anyone who wanted to improve their cooking skills. This year however, she has partnered with Leo Readey, an occupational therapy doctoral candidate at Western New England University.
“This is a free, adaptive cooking course for people with disabilities,” Mr. Readey explained. A lead chef teaches students how to prepare specific food components, while Mr. Readey approaches each step from a therapeutic angle, working with each student to adapt the motions of cooking to their needs.
During the Caesar salad lesson, for example, Chef Marangelly Vargas-Gonzalez walked students through rinsing and chopping lettuce, preparing the dressing, using a salad spinner, and preparing the garlic bread. For each given step, Mr. Readey adjusted students’ grips, provided adaptive tools, and encouraged students to use motions they found more comfortable.
Cooking-class participants from Transitions Academy are accompanied each week by job coaches, who provide additional support and feedback as the students learn to cook with confidence. Student Alondra Santiago was all smiles as she took the lead on chopping her own lettuce and mixing together the dressing ingredients, with coach Jasmine Ortiz always at her side providing positive feedback
So far, students and staff have given the course glowing reviews.
“I love to get people together with all different abilities and prove people wrong,” said student Aniya Gomez. “Maybe people think we can’t cook because we have ADHD, or autism, or dyslexia. But we can. We’re showing that anyone can learn to cook.”
Transitions Academy director Corrine Moguel says she can already see the confidence boost in her students. “Transitions is experiencing a culinary revolution. Our students have embraced this opportunity, and they are feeling the confidence.”
When asked if he will be cooking at home more often, student Michael Valentin considered the question carefully before answering with enthusiasm: “Yeah, because I think my mom would love that!”