Thursday Food is greeted with a smile by culinary specialist and supervisor Jennifer Stetsy-Davis on arrival at the Windsor Avenue headquarters, where Dr Heather Little-White welcomes persons from all age groups to explore their culinary skills.

It all began as a basic cooking course for housekeepers, a dissertation for Little-White when she was pursuing her doctorate. Today, she offers a cooking course to children aged eight to 12, who are interested in familiarising themselves with and in the kitchen.

According to Little-White the response to the course has been both wonderful and overwhelming, with parents encouraging their children to continue the course up to the advanced level. The boys in this summer’s group showed a keen interest, and past attendees have even gone on to become chefs or to study culinary art.

Following the culmination of the course, there is an assessment, presentation and graduation/prize giving, to which parents are invited to learn about their child’s experience as well as sample the food they’ve worked so hard to prepare. This time around they were treated to pizza, shrimp fried rice, curry rice, lasagne, brownies and burgers — all made by the hands of their little ones.

As Little-White pointed out, the course introduces the children to things they can make at home themselves — things that are quick and easy. From breakfast to lunch ideas and snacks, the kids leave with a skill, and are able to fend for themselves in the kitchen.