A TV chef taught young kids from Hoboken’s Jubilee Center how to make a cucumber salad and corn dogs last week – and the kids also learned the nutritional value of the ingredients.
The young cooks traveled to Hudson County Community College in Jersey City to get kitchen tips from Chef Paul Dillon, formerly of the cooking show “Let’s Cook” on cable channel CN8. Dillon works at HCCC, which has a renowned culinary arts program.
The trip was part of a program called “Healthy Tuesdays” at the Jubilee Center. The Jubilee Center is a non-profit organization next to the Hoboken Housing Authority projects.
“Healthy Tuesdays” was founded by councilmen Ruben Ramos Jr. and Peter Cammarano to introduce the kids to “healthy living and healthy lifestyles,” said Cammarano at the event.
Earlier in the summer, as part of the program, the councilmen brought in a Club H trainer and a nutritional specialist from Hoboken University Medical Center. They also took the kids to the Hoboken Farmer’s Market to pick out corn and peaches for their families.
Sonia Thomas, executive director of the center, said, “The feedback from the children was phenomenal.”
She said the events were right in line with their mission of exposing the children to social and cultural opportunities they wouldn’t normally encounter.
County Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons also attended the cooking class and provided bus service for the children.
For more information about the culinary arts at HCCC, call (201) 714-7200 or visit www.hccc.edu.
For questions or comments on this story, e-mail tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.