Anika helps her mother, Ami Desai-Mehta, make paneer paratha, bread with Indian cottage cheese and spices, at home.
As my high school senior year progresses and the college application process looms large, I’ve been starting to think about daily college life. From scholarly academic classes to budgeting my own time, I know learning how to be independent will play a large role in my life for the next four years. This idea of total freedom is made even more daunting by the prospect of having to take care of my meals, especially since I don’t currently know how to cook.
Although I’ve spent a lot of time helping my mom and naani, or maternal grandmother, in the kitchen, I still don’t have a solid foundation of culinary basics. Eating healthy meals in college may not necessarily always be an option, which is why learning how to cook for me is important.
Being educated about healthy eating and putting that knowledge into practice are two very different things; I hope learning to cook with more than a microwave will serve as a starting place. That’s why I’m excited to attend chef Kim Ngo’s “Art of Adulting: How to Cook With More Than a Microwave” workshop, brought to you by the Highlands Youth Advisory Board.
In Kim’s workshop, I hope to gain basic kitchen skills and learn about the economics of how to cook (not to mention knowing how to make minestrone and a French apple cake should be very helpful in my future). I hope the skills I learn will alleviate some anxiety I have about my first year in college and the various culinary options, as well as provide a foundation of kitchen and economic skills I can use for the rest of my life.
Teens: join me in learning how to prepare a delicious meal to share with your family, cooking along with Kim over Zoom from your own kitchen. Ingredients for the recipes will be porch delivered to registrants in Issaquah Highlands for the workshop.
High School students only. $20 to attend, including the ingredients for the recipes delivered to your porch in Issaquah Highlands. Space is limited. Get more information and register now >>
Anika Mehta is a 12th-grader, a member of the Highlands Youth Advisory Board, and an Issaquah Highlands resident. Her mother, Ami Desai-Mehta, is an emeritus member of the Highlands Council Board of Trustees.
