COOKING WITH CCYC REFLECTION - 11//21

Menu
Nutella French toast roll-ups
Monte Cristo sandwiches
French toast sticks

Ever since the Cultivating Change class about a month ago when we ambitiously made too
many dishes and ran so short on time that the boys barely had time to eat, Jan has restructured
classes. In order to give the boys and girls options, but still allow enough time to eat and discuss the menu, Jan has chosen recipes that are a variation on a theme. We offer up a standard dish, but then show how you can customize it to taste or the ingredients on hand. In this way, we hope that the youth can rediscover, and enjoy, a dish that they may have never liked before, while learning a diversity of cooking techniques in the process. This week’s variation on a theme was French toast.

As we started class, all of the usual suspects were present: a disruptive new boy who had just
arrived to CCYC; several boys who thought the Monte Cristo sandwiches sounded gross and
assured us they wouldn’t eat them; and a sullen boy who kept his head down and his voice
barely above a mumble. Unfortunately, it sounded like the boys had had a tough week. There
were lots of disciplinary infractions, and B. and S. had gotten into a fight. B. wasn’t allowed to
participate in class, and S. was here with his arm in a sling. It looked like it was going to be a
tough one.

Per usual, Jan and I divided the boys up into two groups to prepare the dishes. I was working
with A. again, as well as two new boys, W. and J. Within just a couple minutes of us getting to
work on the Monte Cristos, J. told me that I had man hands, which I think was supposed to
upset me, but just made me laugh. I guess that was my test, because after that, we were cool,
and we moved on to talking about other things. J. and W. picked out the combination of turkey
(sliced or sausage) and cheese (American or mozzarella) for each sandwich and assembled
them while A. whisked the eggs. A. was happy to be the chef again and jumped right on the
cooking duties. After the sandwiches were ready, we prepared the French toast sticks. A. said
that he wanted to melt chocolate like he learned to do in last week’s class to drizzle over the
sticks. He finished the French toast sticks on his own while the rest of us set the food on the
table.
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As everyone sat down to their meals and began to eat, the familiar silence of contentment fell
over the room. No one spoke for several minutes, and then Y., who had been the disruptive
student at the start of class, exclaimed loudly how good everything was, and that “we should
open up a shop!” To which I replied, “Yeah, and we can hire all of you to work there!” No sooner
had the words left my lips, the boys surrounded me excitedly and asked if that could happen.
Jan inquired if they would want to learn restaurant work, and all of them said that they would
enjoy that. They then chatted excitedly about what roles they would want to take on in our
hypothetical cafe. One of the many goals of Cultivating Change is that the class gives them the
hope, and skills, to find personal success. In that moment, Jan and I were able to witness what
it looks like when they can envision a future for themselves beyond the juvenile justice system.