Beyond
"TEACH A CHILD TO COOK AND THEY FEED THEMSELVES FOR LIFE"
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Kids in the Kitchen By Gayle Cunningham
I
went to meet with Latoya Panton chef and owner of Delicious Occasions Catering Services and Cooking Classes because I am a mother of four kiddies who are biting at the bit to start cooking - but for my fear of them burning down the house. Damn you, Food Network
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for sparking the children’s interest in food. I was unprepared for the tiny teenybopper who stood waiting on me. When I think of a cooking instructor, instantly images of a Julia Child-like woman pops into my head. I expected someone slightly eccentric; tallish, buxom
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and slightly round, with hair lightly dusted with flour. Suffice to say, Latoya totally blasted that theory to smithereens. Her calm, soft-spoken disposition makes it easy to understand just why her young students bond with her almost immediately. A powerhouse of ideas, Latoya eats, sleeps and dreams food. When asked how long she has been into cooking, she immediately describes her early years growing up in the kitchen cooking with her mother and aunt. Her aunt would give her a pot and some stock and let her experiment with making her own soup. It was this freedom to explore and create that inspired and encouraged her on her journey to becoming a Chef. And it is this spirit that she encourages in her students, both young and old. “Cooking is an adventure which ought to be seen as a
SUMMER 2016
