Home-grown produce flavors the culinary school experience

November 7, 2017

Using fresh produce and herbs enhances the flavor of any recipe, and for the Food Bank of Delaware’s Culinary School in Milford, an on-site garden provided produce throughout the growing season.

Chef Instructor Tish Badamshin frequently sends culinary school students out the back door to harvest tomatoes and herbs, and they created delicious recipes based on the zucchini and squash when it was in season.

In fact, since we haven’t had a hard frost, this little garden is still producing.

“It was awesome,” Chef Tish said.

This year’s garden has deeper roots, so to speak, because it was planted by a volunteer, Suzanne, with plants provided by Patrick, the Food Bank’s farm manager. Suzanne, an avid gardener, also brought in some of her own seedlings to add to the mix.

Interestingly, after that experience Suzanne transitioned from volunteer to student at The Culinary School. She said that during her volunteer stint she had the opportunity to interact with students, and she had never realized the the Food Bank could offer an opportunity to turn a cooking hobby into a profession.

The Culinary School provides unemployed and under-employed individuals a 14-week program that teaches basic and high-end kitchen skills, ServSafe training, and life skills. Students spend 12 weeks in the classroom and the Food Bank’s commercial kitchen, followed by a 2-week paid internship.

Most of our graduates connect to employment opportunities through the program.

For more information of the Food Bank of Delaware and our Culinary School, visit www.fbd.org.