Under Chef's Guidance, Youth Create Culinary Treats

By Timothy Keegan

"Evidently," says Roberta DesBouillons, founder and chief chef at Apron Springs, "the future chefs of America are coming from the Richmond District."

"One of my primary goals is to steer kids away from a diet of preservatives and McDonald's, and take advantage of the exciting, nourishing foods available to them throughout the year here in the Bay Area," she said.

A luncheon of torta verde, lemon pasta with asparagus and pine nuts, asparagus and Emmentaler tart and strawberry shortcake served at the conclusion of a recent Saturday morning class illustrates the success of her goal.

Besides creating three different doughs from scratch that morning, the youth learned a variety of other valuable kitchen tips: contrary to popular wisdom, larger stalked asparagus are tastier than small; fresh garden produce, like the rainbow chard picked from DesBouillon's garden that morning, requires special cleaning and prepatory considerations; and the guiding rule when confronting questionable ingredients in the kitchen is "when in doubt, throw it out."

Apron Springs offers an impressive array of possibilities to children hoping to explore the adventures and discoveries of cooking: four- and five-day summer culinary camps, Saturday morning workshops, after-school cooking classes and private lessons and parties. Classes are designed for children 10 years of age or older and most classes are conducted in the kitchen at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, located at Geary and Franklin streets.

DesBouillons creates a fun, safe, educational environment for youth and, above all, insures that all aspects of the classes are hands-on. Whether grappling with the math involved in baking ("Chris, how much baking flour will we need if the recipe calls for one-and-a-half cups and we want to double the recipe?"), taste preferences ("What could I substitute for the feta cheese in the torta verde?"), or safety ("Which way should the handle of this skillet be facing if I'm going to walk away from the stove?"), DesBouillons rarely makes a move in the kitchen without first getting her students to think about and understand the how and why of their actions.

When she asked why handling the tart dough too much wan not advisable, DesBouillons was momentarily met with a room full of glassy stares. Suddenly a light bulb of recognition went on in one of the student's face and she blurted out, "Because there's butter in the dough and the heat from our hands will make it melt and ruin the dough."

Heidi is a Richmond District mother who has an 11-year-old son who enjoys the cooking program.

"Eli had expressed a strong desire to learn how to cook. You could see his smiling face after that first class. He couldn't wait to share the dishes he'd prepared that day," Heidi said.

"So many skills are drawn upon in the kitchen," DesBouillons said. "Science, critical thinking, math, organizational skills, logic, time management, physical dexterity - whether they were aware of it or not, the kids utilized every one of those skills in class this morning."

Chris, who was given a gift certificate to Apron Strings from his uncle at Christmas, bent over a mixing bowl intensely shredding lemon rind. His favorite dish is currently chicken Caesar salad, a dish he sometimes makes for his family.

DesBouillons is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. She began cooking at 11 years of age, convincing her mother to let her help with the nightly duties. Shortly thereafter, she took an interest in baking, often shouting at her siblings, "Don't slam the door. I have bread in the oven."

For more information about Apron Stings, call (415) 550-7976.