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Changed Plate holds Kids Chef Camp

By Michael Kelly 4 min read

BELPRE -- Seven young people from around the Mid-Ohio Valley tuned up their kitchen skills this week under the instruction of a chef and other cooking professionals at the Kids Chef Camp.

On Tuesday morning at the Changed Plate restaurant in the Memorial Health System Belpre campus, they cleaned, peeled, chopped, sliced and coated vegetables for grilling. Clad in aprons and chef hats, they put to work knife and peeler skills taught the previous day.

"Remember, clamp it down with your palm," said chef Ryan Grasley.

"I've always helped cook, I grew up helping in the kitchen," said Olivia Jones, 17, of Vincent after the vegetables were prepared and coated with oil.

"Now I've got some full recipes, I've learned to hold a knife properly - with vegetables, you hold them down with the bear claw," she said, demonstrating the grip. "We did salads yesterday, today we're grilling vegetables."

Jones said her mother heard about the camp through a Memorial Facebook posting. She enjoys cooking as a hobby but isn't considering it as a career. Her inclinations there run to chemistry or music.

Aiden Corbett, 13, of Williamstown, said he's learning useful skills at the camp.

"I know how to rotate a knife now, these are skills I can use at home, and later in life," he said. Corbett said he might consider cuisine as a career, but for now he just enjoys the craft.

"I like to cook. I just really like food," he said.

Changed Plate cook Hannah Wolfe set the sliced potatoes on the grill, sending up a hot, appetizing aroma.

"I'm very excited about this, I love to cook," said Kayte Edmands, 11, of Parkersburg. "They taught me how to hold a knife, and how to slice onions without crying."

Cooking appeals to her as a career path. "Would I like to be a chef? Yes," she said.

Bill Dodson, director of nutrition services at the Belpre facility, said they tried the kids' chef camp as a pilot last year, and this got enough response and interest to make it an annual program.

"Our goal is to move to a week-long session with different age groups," he said. This year's class has young people ranging from 9 to 16 years old, from Vincent, Barlow, Little Hocking, Marietta, Williamstown and Parkersburg.

"The age difference, they have different motor skills and levels of dexterity," he said.

The program is part skills development and part health education, he said.

"It's hands-on learning, and also a healthy approach to food, for example using fresh instead of canned or frozen ingredients, healthy preparation with no deep frying," he said, gesturing to the group as they peeled and sliced sweet potatoes to be oiled and baked or grilled as a replacement for French fries.

Each day of the five-day camp offered a different element, he said, starting with appetizers and going through side dishes and entrees. On Friday the students cooked a full three-course meal plus dessert for their parents.

"It's part of Memorial's Live Well effort, a way for us to get more involved in the community. It creates awareness, and it's something fun and exciting for the kids to do," he said.

Dodson said he hopes the students will take away a better vision of nutrition and convey it to their families.

"It's absolutely fundamental for our community to recognize preventive measures through food and nutrition, to prevent medical setbacks later in life. Diabetes, for example, is most often seen for reactive treatment to something that can usually be prevented," he said. "This will help set a base for a healthier lifestyle."

Michael Kelly can be reached at mkelly@mariettatimes.com.

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