A volunteer’s view from the kitchen

Megan Parfitt is a parent and new volunteer at Kallista Primary School, a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program School since 2007. In this story, Megan shares her first experience of volunteering in a kitchen class …

With hesitant steps I joined the second session of my daughter’s cooking class. I received a warm welcome and handover from an extremely competent grandmother on her way out. The team I was to support were halfway through one recipe and starting the next. Kylie settled my trepidation with a pat on the back. She told me ‘the children know where everything is’ and she’s also available to help.

Children poured in from recess, four teams of six, consisting of three Grade 4’s, three Grade 3’s. Each team had two different dishes to make. I left one confident Grade 4 overseeing two eager Grade 3’s to finish off the potato & leek torte, while I helped start off the potato cakes.

Ingredients were retrieved from the garden, the Grade 4 taking a Grade 3 to show where the herbs were situated. Sonja was in the garden to help guide when the chives turned out to be elusive. I was impressed with the leadership of the Grade 4’s and how well the Grade 3’s responded to suggestions and directions. Concentration, determination, perseverance (my dough keeps getting holes … three attempts, perfect!), new kitchen skills learnt, confidence built and, finally, two tortes in the oven, smiles and laughter from the team.  

Clean up started by some (enjoying the sensory experience of suds), while the rest completed the second dish. Problem – we need to cook the potato cakes quicker. Solved – a Grade 4 grabbed another frypan and the team worked together to cook and plate them up.  

Teams that finished early set the tables, helped by Kylie’s diagram on the board. Flowers picked from the garden were arranged in the middle, a thoughtful finishing touch. We all sat down to a feast. Gnocchi, risotto, curry, potato cakes, potato & silverbeet torte, passed around, discussions and opinions shared on favourite dishes, washed down with homemade lemon cordial. For dessert, brownies (whoever thought chickpeas would make a dessert taste so nice?) and melt-in-your-mouth lemon pudding. The feeling of accomplishment in creating tasteful dishes, shared in conversation.

My memory of cooking in high school was each child individually making the same dish to take home. Today the children demonstrated negotiation, leadership, following directions, maths, comprehension, active listening – all leading to the enjoyment of eating what they had spent hours creating. All that team building, learning and creativity mixed in a familiar social setting.  

The extensive planning before the children even entered the class was evident in the flawless timing of all dishes (I was in awe of this outcome). Coupled with the planned availability of fresh produce in the garden that the children helped to grow, these sessions are valuable hands-on learning experiences.

Kylie and Sonja both bring personality, planning and success in their interpretation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program and are a tribute to the Kallista school program. I enjoyed sharing this experience with my daughter and her class.

Thanks,                        

Megan.

Thank you Megan for this wonderful window into the world of a school kitchen. It is this kind of generosity – with time and energy – from volunteers such as Megan that is so valuable to kitchen garden schools around the country.

Thank you also to Jasmine, Megan’s daughter, for sharing her mum with the rest of her class and for letting her mum share this lovely photo of herself with us.