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Celebrity chef livens up HHS cooking class

By SARAH HOGSED

Source: Kentucky New Era


HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. --
A whirlwind of energy took over a Hopkinsville High School classroom recently, hoping to teach teens that cooking can be fun and healthy at the same time.
From the second Jon Ashton, a celebrity chef from England, entered the doors of the local high school on Sept. 11, he was bombarding the Basic Culinary Skills students with questions about their favorite dishes. His combination of high energy, quirky wit and of course, British accent, made his cooking demonstration a hit with students and teachers.
Cooking class instructor Cecelia Hostilo set Ashton up with a variety of ingredients for a Italian pasta dish. Ashton immediately launched into a rapid-fire delivery of cooking instructions, anecdotes and advice while slicing and dicing the vegetables.
"One of the common mistakes amateur cooks make is not preparing the ingredients," Ashton said. Then he related the tale of how he got started cooking, when he was "8 years young" at the side of his grandmother. While in the midst of telling a humorous story about his brother, he realized a student was recording him with her digital camera.
"Are you recording this? Oh sausages! I'm embarrassed," Ashton said as the classroom erupted in laughter.
His instructions were often interspersed with interesting exclamations, and Ashton said the teens must learn cooking lingo, like "smashing, yummy, By Jove and oh sausages." He often called the students "you rascals," which elicited muffled giggles from the observers.
Next, as Ashton was slicing some garlic cloves, he warned the cooking students never to use garlic from a jar. One teen tattled on the cooking teacher, saying she had made them use it in the past.
"If your teacher ever uses jarred garlic again, send me an e-mail ... we'll picket," Ashton said.
Throughout his cooking demonstration, Ashton emphasized healthy, fresh ingredients. He asked for Parmesan cheese at one point, but when a student brought him a plastic jar of store brand sprinkle cheese, he declined to use it.
Ashton also found he was limited by the law when he asked for some white wine.
"I don't think we can have that at a school," Hostilo said with a smile.
While the finished pasta dish cooled, several students asked Ashton questions about cooking. Shakiera Farmer asked about the difference between fresh and dried herbs. Ashton had her come to the front of the classroom and taste-test both dried and fresh basil.
The fresh basil was much more flavorful, Farmer said.
Farmer, a 17-year-old senior, was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to the chef.
"What he does is what I want to do, that's my passion," the enthusiastic teen said. "I want to create new things."
Hostilo said it was the first time a celebrity chef has visited her classroom.
"I want the students to get an appreciation for the culinary career and an appreciation for simple food," Hostilo said after the demonstration. She said the exposure to cooking careers is something the students don't get often.
After the vegetarian pasta dish was prepared, Ashton invited everyone to come taste his creation but made sure to emphasize its healthiness.
"When you come up and try this, remember, natural ingredients from Mother Nature, because she's beautiful."
Information from: Kentucky New Era, http://www.kentuckynewera.com