ASC readies for return of CrEATe
Chopping vegetables and shopping for groceries may seem boring to some, especially young people. A local program for ages 10-17 aims to not only make cooking fun, but also instill life-long nutritious eating habits and food preparation skills.
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., will host the winter 2022 series of CrEATe Lab, the nutritious cooking program, beginning Jan. 22.
Faith Anaya and the staff of her Little Rock-based cooking school Kids Cook! provide their food expertise.
Registration is open for the series, which features eight sessions from 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 22, 29, Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26, March 5 and 12. The cost is $35 for all eight sessions, and half scholarships are available. Capacity is limited to 10 students.
The theme of the recipes for this series is “Winter Stuff and Kids’ Choice.” Students will learn about cooking safety, the science of food, reading nutrition labels, food careers, global food, trying new foods, gardening, and making mini cooking videos. Each CrEATe Lab series also includes a community service component in which food is prepared for a local food pantry, according to the release.
The planned weekly topics are:
■ Week 1 (Jan. 22) — The Science of Food: Why Do You Need Baking Powder?
■ Week 2 (Jan. 29) — Cooking Around the World.
■ Week 3 (Feb. 5) — Art & Food — Filming Mini Cooking Videos.
■ Week 4 (Feb. 12) — African American Foodways.
■ Week 5 (Feb. 19) — Community Service; Food and Public Ser
vice Careers — Food Rescue with guest Sylvia Blain of Potluck Food Rescue.
■ Week 6 (Feb. 26) — Make Your Own BBQ Sauce.
■ Week 7 (March 5) — Spring Gardening and Food Careers — with guest Ben Pope of Arkansas Children’s Hospital Community Garden.
■ Week 8 (March 12) — Culminating event for students and their families.
At the end of each class, students will take home containers of food they helped prepare.
Online registration and a scholarship application are available at asc701.org/ create-lab. Registration may also be completed by calling ASC at (870) 536-3375 or in person at ASC’s main building, 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff.
Parents or guardians must complete a CrEATe Lab application and covid-19 waiver before the series begins. As part of ASC’s covid precautions, masks completely covering the nose and mouth must be worn at all times.
For details about CrEATE Lab, contact ASC Education Programs Manager Shakeelah Rahmaan at srahmaan@asc701.org.