Cooking is In: workshops for pupils

As part of a series of partnerships with kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, in February the Association of Chefs from Mediterranean and European Regions began classes at the ŠKMER Cooking Academy for pupils and staff of the Domovinske zahvalnosti primary school in Knin, within a project supported by the EU (UP. 02.1.2.01.0011). The project carries the same name as the school. The aim is to introduce pupils of the 7th and 8th grade to the culinary tradition of the whole of Dalmatia and to build their cooking skills, working in a professionally equipped kitchen with experienced chefs. The classes encourage creativity in children and teach them about ingredients and their nutritional value, with a focus on health and on special diets such as gluten free, vegan and allergen free.

“Through this project the Domovinske zahvalnosti primary school wants to offer children new content through extracurricular activities. The project brings children activities the school was not able to offer before because of limited funds. It also builds a stronger connection between children and young people and the town of Knin, which in the long run helps keep pupils here after they finish school, and brings people back,” they say at the Domovinske zahvalnosti primary school.

Alongside the pupils, the Association of Chefs from Mediterranean and European Regions also began classes for three teachers, the headmistress and the school cook, who worked with chefs Petar Vlak and Željko Neven Bremec on more advanced techniques and more demanding recipes. Besides preparing dishes, particular attention went to creating recipes for the project cookbook, to portion standards and to putting a menu together.

“The workshops held so far focused on traditional home dishes from across Dalmatia, served in both the original and contemporary way: cold and warm starters, main courses, desserts, bread and pastries. Among other things, the pupils learned to make fish soup, home made gnocchi with sauce, pasta and tuna pate, chicken tingul, beans with cured meat, rožata, fruit salads, apple strudel. With the staff we also made dishes that will go into the project cookbook, such as fish carpaccio, fish baked in salt, prawn stock and risotto, lamb with peas, cuttlefish with broad beans and black risotto, while both groups learn to make home made bread and pastries. The children enjoy it enormously when they can chop, cut and cook, and then taste what they prepared,” said Željko Neven Bremec, president of ŠKMER.