U of I Extension collaborates with Rockford Police to bring Flavors to youth

submitted photo The Journal
6th graders: Gavin Akerman, Jahtyah Boose, & Phyllis Ford, receive help from volunteer Linda Camilletti on knife skills.

The University of Illinois Extension has partnered with the Rockford Police Dept. to develop Flavors with 5.0, a seven-week cooking program that exposes middle school youth to the culinary arts, while creating positive interactions with local law enforcement.
The program was developed by Extension Youth Development Educator Annie Hobson in partnership with Rockford police officers and several community volunteers and partners.
“When developing this project, it was important for me to have several community supports at the table so that we could offer students the best possible experience through this collaborative 4-H project,” says Hobson.
Youth who participate in this project develop kitchen skills that include knife skills, sanitation requirements, reading recipes, measurement conversions, and flavor fusion. Students are also granted access to a local restaurant where they learn how chefs manage a commercial kitchen through their daily operations.
During their final session, youth are challenged to work as teams to develop the ultimate dish using mystery ingredients and items available to them in a pantry. They must showcase their culinary skills by incorporating every item in the basket. “Youth have to challenge themselves in order to grow”, says volunteer Linda Camilletti. Youth are judged on presentation, creativity, taste and texture, cleanliness, and teamwork by local community leaders.
The final challenge for round one took place April 30 at 4:30 p.m. The event was held at Good Shepard Church on North Rockton. Hobson stated that seven youth completed the program, while a nice crowd of parents and supporters cheered on the competitors.
This program is projected serve more than 30 youth next school year, allowing previous graduates to serve as mentors to the newcomers. Each round will train 10 youth for seven weeks.
For more information about this and other University of Illinois Extension and 4-H programming, please contact the Extension office at 815-986-4357 or visit the webpage http://web.extension.illinois.edu/jsw .