From left, VGCC Culinary Arts students Hayya Wright of Henderson and Randy Bullock of Stem look on as campers chop vegetables that will go in a pizza. (VGCC photo)
Vance-Granville Community College Culinary Arts students recently became teachers, as they helped youngsters explore the world of cooking. The City of Oxford Parks and Recreation department offered a week-long “cooking camp” twice this summer, and employed students from VGCC as basic culinary instructors during the morning hours for three days.
In July, VGCC students Randy Bullock of Stem and Jasmyne Schmitt of Bracey, Va., taught some of the basics of cooking and baking to the campers, who ranged in age from 7 to 12. At the second camp, Bullock was joined by classmate Hayya Wright of Henderson. Bullock, Schmitt and Wright are all second-year students in the VGCC Culinary Arts program.
Bullock explained that he and his classmates enjoyed both cooking for the children and teaching them some basic cooking skills that they could use at home. “Kids are more likely to eat what they help fix themselves,” he said. “Each day focused on a meal. We taught them techniques related to breakfast the first day, lunch the second and dinner on third.”
The campers were “very energetic,” Wright said. “I enjoyed demonstrating what I’ve learned. The kids have been really excited about types of food that I didn’t expect, and their excitement makes me excited.”
Christine Sims, director of parks and recreation for the City of Oxford, said that the camps had proven to be so popular that she intends to continue partnering with the VGCC Culinary Arts department on similar programs in the future. The camps attracted children not only from Oxford but from surrounding areas. For more information on future cooking programs, visit the Oxford Parks & Recreation online portal at www.oxfordnc.org/recreation.
The Culinary Arts degree program, based at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, prepares students to assume positions as trained culinary professionals in a variety of settings, including full-service restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract foodservice, and health care facilities. For more information about the Culinary Arts program, contact Chef Teresa Davis at davist@vgcc.edu or (919) 690-0312.