JANUARY 9TH, 2012
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There’s hummus among us! This week, a total of 110 fifth graders competed in Iron Chef: Hummus, a winter challenge led by Growing Chefs instructors at PS 132 in Brooklyn. The culmination of the fall semester math/science and botany/nutrition program, students applied their growing knowledge of fractions, recipe-writing, and ever-growing encylopedia of culinary expertise in taste-testing to compete in making the best winter hummus per class. Combining dried herbs like cumin and zataar with fresh parsley and chili flakes, the fifth graders were encouraged to make collective decisions, articulate their arguments for each spice choice, and finalize the recipe with three well-plated samples for the judges. A typical Growing Chefs recipe, the dish featured seasonal winter garlic; was easy for kids to prepare, and makes a great, healthy afternoon snack.
At the end of each successful class, instructors asked the students to raise their hands if this was their first hummus (about 80% of their hands went up). “Now keep your hands up if you LIKED your first hummus!” And lo and behold, not a hand came down. Green thumbs up to another successful, healthy, fun day with Growing Chefs.