A crowd of apron-clad elementary-schoolers gathers around Chef Gina Carrera. She gingerly holds the end of a whisk handle with her fingertips as she discusses proper whisking techniques. “Do we hold it like this?” she asks. “No!” the children reply. She grips the handle more firmly and wiggles her shoulders. “Is this how we use the whisk?” she asks. The students giggle and shake their heads. Carrera demonstrates the proper hand motion, and the chefs-to-be divide into two teams to see who can whisk their cream into thickened whipped cream the fastest. The students gather around the table, egging their teammates on. Each quickly grabs the whisk when it’s their turn to be the designated whisker, whipping the cream faster and faster. At last, one girl exclaims, “I think ours is whipped cream!” Carrera inspects their work then turns the bowl upside down over the girl’s head. The cream stays put. The victorious team cheers, and soon the class is enjoying the fruit of their labors.
Such scenes of food and excitement are common at Carrera’s Cook n Grow classes. Since 2014, the College Station-based business has taught kids kitchen skills and food safety to create lifelong cooking enthusiasts.
Carrera’s food connections run deep. Her family owns a Central Mexican winery, her brothers are chefs, and her mother owned catering and restaurant businesses throughout the years. Carrera says she learned to cook as a child helping her mom prepare food for events. “I don’t remember my mom teaching me directly,” Carrera recalls. “It was me
just like, ‘Oh, Can I smell that? Can I taste that? How do you do it? Can I stir?’”
Cook n Grow was born from a request for Carrera to teach a cooking class for a small group of girls. The idea is expanding beyond its flagship location and currently includes Houston, Katy, and Tomball, Carrera says. In College Station, she holds classes year-round, including weekly classes during the school year, week-long summer camps, holiday workshops, private classes, and parties.
During each class, students make recipes from scratch — from lemonade to tortillas to spaghetti with handmade noodles, sauce, and meatballs — to eat or take home to share with their family. They also learn safe cooking habits, including food hygiene, kitchen clean-up, and proper knife skills by using kid-safe cutlery. “Everything is hands on, so they really stay engaged,” Carrera says. “They don’t realize they’re learning, because it’s just so fun.”
Students develop independence and confidence by performing every step of the cooking process, including tasks that parents might be cautious to let them do like cutting vegetables and cracking eggs, Carrera says. “It’s that sense of accomplishment,” she explains. “[The kids] are so proud. … Sometimes they’re not ready, but you’d be surprised how
much a 3-year-old can do all by themselves.” Carrera says many students develop a greater interest in helping in their own kitchens and even critique their parents’ techniques.
Interacting with her students is Carrera’s favorite part of the job, she says. “Working with kids is super rewarding,” she adds. “You’re influencing them in a good way.” She recalls one student who said she wanted to grow up to be a cook like Carrera one day. Years later, she attended culinary school and now works as a professional chef. “To see her with her uniform and working, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember her when she was 7 and so tiny!’” Carrera says.
By teaching where food comes from, Carrera says she hopes every student will learn to make healthy decisions throughout their life and develop connections through food. “Even if they’re not going to open a restaurant when they’re older, they don’t see [cooking] as a chore, and their kids are going to eat better, their spouse is going to eat better,” she explains. “That’s why we do what we do.”
Starting the Semester
As school starts back up, so will Cook n Grow’s regular semester of classes. Through the “hat belt” program, students focus on specific cooking skills and can earn different colored bands for their chef’s hats, similar to the martial arts concept of earning belts as participants advance, for mastering increasingly complex recipes and skills.
Weekly one-hour classes will be offered at numerous days and after-school times for children of all ages: Tots (ages 3-5), kids (ages 6-11), and teens (ages 12-16). Classes are $100 per month or $30 per class. Hats and aprons will be provided. For more information, or to schedule a private class or party, call (832) 952-1771 or visit cookngrow.com.
