Osseo High School seniors Adrian Eiken and Linda Sonkarlay are very different from one another. They come from different cultural backgrounds and have different hopes and dreams for their futures. But there is one thing upon which they agree—food is their thing.
At an early age they each decided to be serious about the preparation and understanding of food. They have used all their high school elective choices to be a part of the ProStart program at Osseo High School, a program developed and sponsored by the National Restaurant Association, which offers culinary, food science and restaurant management training along with paid internships that are so valuable that students are likely to walk out of the classroom and straight into a coveted restaurant position, if that’s what they want. However, these two are looking beyond a good job and into the horizon for a meaningful career.
Linda has a clear picture of the restaurant she plans to open in the future. It is grounded in the traditional food of Liberia, the country she and her family left seven years ago to come to America. “It will be named Gio. The name of my tribe,” she explains.
Adrian has plans, too. He is the major cook in his family and can put a meal together free-style, with just about any combination of ingredients on hand. He loves science and wants to combine that interest with his love of food by entering a new arena known as culinology.
The Iron Chef Principal
For both of these future foodies, Osseo High School has provided the foundation for dreams. Like all ProStart instructors, teacher Carolyn Leach underwent specific training in order to begin offering the nationally known program, a mini-dream of her own. She studied directly under an executive chefs to broaden her food skills into an impressive knowledge of the food service and restaurant industry. Along the way, she’s gathering the interest of Maple Grove area chefs and food experts to give these kids hands-on experience and personal insight into what lies ahead.
The journey towards food started early for most these students. Some say they learned to cook from a family member. Many will admit that they probably watch far too much of the Food Network. The Iron Chef tops many of their lists for influence, as well as a sort of broad, TV-based learning about food and its preparation.
Watching a cooking show may be great entertainment, but there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty—sometimes disgustingly slimy—in order to truly learn the chemistry of the kitchen.
In this class, students dress and roast a whole chicken to learn about cross contamination and the value of seasonings.
Leach also covers the five “mother” sauces; the crowning glory of any dish. “A lot of cooks pour things out of jars and don’t know how to make sauces,” she says. Understanding sauces is one of the things that Linda Sonkarlay says entirely changed the way she cooks.
Ah-ha! Moments
Sonkarlay recalls a writing assignment in fifth grade that asked her to describe her own restaurant, “It was called ‘Linda’s Fish Head Stew’”, she remembers. She had wanted to be a chef since she was little and a simple exercise brought it all into focus. Eiken had a light-bulb moment too, when Ms. Leach brought out puzzles and he “finally understood ounce and cup conversions.”
The culinary program at Osseo High School will, no doubt, produce knowledgeable chefs and food scientists, but it may also restore the art of adventurous cuisine to a number of home kitchens along the way.
&
Do you know the 5 “mother” sauces?
Make a match!
- Béchamel a. oil and vinegar-based sauce
- Velouté b. a basic emulsified sauce
- Espagnole c. white sauce
- Hollandaise d. light stock-based sauce
- Vinaigrette e. brown stock-based sauce
Answers: 1-c, 2-d, 3-e, 4-b, 5-a
&
Carolyn Leach, the teacher that oversees the ProStart program at Osseo High School, retired in 2012, after 37 years of teaching. May all of our children have such a forward-looking, innovative teacher! Congratulations Ms. Leach.
&
Adrian Eiken and Linda Sonkarlay each share a recipe that expresses their favorite cooking style.
"Beef and Biscuits"
A hearty recipe that you can make using things many kitchens already have on hand
(Adrian Eiken)
Ingredients:
1¼ lb. ground beef.
½ cup white onion
¼ cup green pepper
½ tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. chili powder
15 oz. tomato sauce (+ half can water)
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
1 ½ cup cheddar cheese
1 can Pillsbury Grands (or other biscuit brand)
Brown beef with onion and pepper, drain fat. Add garlic salt and chili powder, along with tomato sauce and water, mix thoroughly. In separate bowl combine egg, cheese and sour cream with meat mixture before placing in casserole dish. Place beef mixture in greased casserole dish, place uncooked biscuits on top. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown, then add cheese mixture until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!
FUFU AND SOUP
(Linda Sonkarlay)
Ingredients:
24 oz. Tropiway Plantain fufu flour
¾ cup of black pepper corn
3 Tbsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Chicken brand MSG
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
5 chicken flavored Maggie cubes
½ cup of smooth peanut butter
½ cup sesame seeds
5 habanero peppers
Smoked turkey necks
1 whole stewing hen
Chicken paws
Non-smoked turkey wings
1 lbs. chicken gizzards
1 lbs. cubed beef
Cut hen into 18 pieces and all other meats in half. Wash all meats and put in large pot. On high heat, add seasonings and 6 ½ cups of water. Cover and cook 30 min. Add peanut butter. Cover and cook for another 30 min. on medium high heat. Toast sesame seeds and black peppercorns, puree together and add to pot with peppers, cook additional 25 min. In a large bowl, mix fufu flour with 4½ cups of water until smooth. Microwave fufu mixture for a total of 15 mins. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth, adding water as needed, at the 10 and 5 minute marks.
With your fingers, dip marble-sized balls of fufu into your individual bowl of soup, then swallow fufu without chewing. Eat soup.
