We wanted to wish all of our volunteers our appreciation during National Volunteer Month. We wanted to spotlight one of our dedicated volunteers, Chef Mary, who shares her expertise as a food writer and recipe developer to teach youth in our Anchorage Transitional Living Program not only how to cook but to how to prepare healthy and affordable meals.
In all of our programming, Anchor House is teaching valuable life skills to our youth, instilling in them independence. This includes cooking and meal preparation in our residential programs.
Chef Mary had previously taught cooking at HomeFront, but the pandemic put a halt to her lessons. Chef Mary learned about Anchor House through her church and was drawn to the opportunity to help youth close in age to her own children. The idea of helping youth who had been or close to becoming homeless also touched her heart. She then approached Anchor House with the idea of volunteering at Anchorage Transitional Living program for youth ages 18-21. The idea of her volunteering to teach cooking along with her enthusiasm and expertise resonated with us, and we quickly said yes!
Anchorage is a residential program focuses on teaching youth to become independent and giving them the tools they need to live on their own. Chef Mary has created a hands-on cooking program at Anchorage, where she is teaching youth culinary skills by creating recipes designed especially for them and providing ingredients for them to prepare meals together.
Chef Mary’s cooking lessons take place on Sunday afternoons. The timing is great as Sunday mornings are days Anchorage residents go food shopping together as a group, another important life skill being taught in this program.
Chef Mary explained that the youth all play different roles during her lessons. For instance, when making chicken, one person would be in charge of preparing it to be cooked and another would be sautéing it. “It is a nice activity because it brings all the kids together,” Chef Mary said.
Meals Chef Mary has taught our young chefs to prepare have included salmon bowls with seaweed and rice, chicken thighs and cutlets, and a classic, mac and cheese which is a meal her son loves to prepare (some of their creations are pictured below). As part of the mac and cheese lesson, Chef Mary taught youth how to make a roux, which is a cooked mixture traditionally made of equal parts flour and butter used to create a thickened texture in dishes like mac and cheese. Now that they know how to make a roux, they can use this technique for other recipes like soups, sauces, gravies, and stews.
One week, Chef Mary created a recipe based on bowls the youth love from Chipotle, first going to the restaurant to purchase one to develop a similar recipe and then purchasing ingredients like avocado and tomatoes to go into it for the young chefs to create their own bowls. “Preparing meals also teaches youth if they want to live independently, they might not want to always order out as it is so expensive,” Chef Mary explained. “They could prepare something as tasty as Chipotle, making it at a fraction of the price and also have leftovers.”
Healthy eating is also a theme in Chef Mary’s lessons. For instance, she is asking youth to consider alternatives to juices and cereals with high sugar. Instead, she is teaching them to preparing healthier options like overnight oats. She even got each of the youth their own jars so they can make them again.
Presentation of a meal is also a skill Chef Mary teaches. Another big part of the lessons is sitting down to enjoy a meal together, like a traditional Sunday family dinner. Recognizing the group has different faiths, Chef Mary asks the youth to have a silent reflection of gratitude. “I want to be present for them,” said Chef Mary. “I know that there are situations where people in their lives are not showing up for them. I want to show up for them and be consistent.”
The youth open up to Chef Mary about their own families while preparing or during the meal. “I would hear someone say my mom made chicken like that or I made this with my grandma.” “I want to be an influence, to create conversations,” explained Chef Mary. “My children are close to their age. To me they are like my own kids.” Speaking of her own kids, Chef Mary’s daughter Sydney and her friend, Rhea, have joined her for lessons and meals. Chef Mary explained how much fun they had, and she could see the rapport and dynamic they had in laughing together and sharing a meal.
Chef Mary wanted a chance to give back, and we are certainly glad she chose Anchor House to volunteer. A quote that rings true to Chef Mary is from Mother Teresa: “Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.” Through her volunteering, Chef Mary truly embodies this message, and we are incredibly thankful for the care and dedication she shows our youth.
Do you have a talent like Chef Mary that you want to share? Visit our Volunteer page for more information.
