Maria’s First Culinary Class
From the first day of culinary class, Maria* compulsively tried to put every food item in her mouth. She is severely visually impaired and Veronica, her Occupational Caregiver, had to continually remind her to stop tasting everything. Veronica was beginning to have doubts that the kitchen was an optimal place for Maria as not all the food was ready or safe to be consumed. But Maria was merely navigating her new, exciting world in the kitchen - exploring every texture and smell with her palate.
Over the course of three months, Maria slowly began to comprehend her boundaries in the kitchen, and she stopped trying to taste every ingredient. She also began to develop more coordination, such as learning the directional concepts of left and right. Along with her other classmates, five young adults with special needs from Casa Esperanza (House of Hope) in Latacunga, she learned other important lessons in the kitchen such as patience, perseverance, and social skills as she interacted with her instructors.
She and her fellow chefs-in-training gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the food preparation process, every finished plate a testament to their hard work and the unique challenges each one of them had to overcome. Most importantly, the students had fun creating everything from pizza to sushi to ceviche (a traditional type of seafood cocktail). They even made a celebratory chocolate cake when they graduated from the course.
Veronica’s face beams with joy and pride as she recounts every victory and challenge the young adults had to overcome in the kitchen. It is thanks to your generosity they were able to experience this sense of achievement and acquire some practical life skills as well. But don’t think these eager young learners are staying in the kitchen! Next up – they’ll be enjoying God’s creation as they learn how to garden. And we can’t wait to see how Maria and her friends continue to flourish and reach new potential! Thank you for making this possible!
*Maria’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.
