Thursday, October 1, 2026
For students at Woodward Children’s Center, a private special education school for students with emotional and social challenges serving students of all ages through 21 located on West Merrick Road in Freeport, cooking is much more than what ends up on the plate, displaying their culinary skills in a hands-on demonstration in the kitchen on July 30.
About eight high school students took part in the cooking class, preparing smash burgers and chocolate chip cookies as part of a cooking class designed to teach essential cooking techniques and introduce them to potential careers in the field of hospitality.
The class was held in Woodward’s kitchen and led by chef instructor Richard Venticinque, who has taught at Woodward for the past two years. He works with the students twice a week, instructing them in basic cooking techniques and skills they can use both in the kitchen and in their everyday lives.
The class also featured a demonstration of Chef Master cookware. Attending the event were representatives from Mr. Bar-B-Q, the company associated with Chef Master, including Joanne Rudis, senior director of product development.
Greg Ingino, Woodward’s executive director, said the hands-on component of cooking makes it valuable for his students.
“For the kids, anything tactile they love doing,” Ingino said. “It’s very calming. They are also learning a trade, and we all know everyone needs to eat.”
Ingino added that vocational opportunities such as the culinary program can help students develop skills that could eventually lead to jobs in the future.
“The restaurant business is an open field, and a lot of our students are going on a vocational track,” Ingino said. “If they could get a job in a restaurant, it’d be a home run.”
Venticinque said he tries to keep his lessons fun while also teaching students to take work seriously.
“Fun is the most important thing, especially in an environment like this,” he said.
Students learn how to grill, fry and sauté while gaining experience that they can use in the future.
Venticinque said the students have made the job rewarding for him.
“I just love the kids,” he said. “Some of them are just so silly, and they bring a smile to my face, honestly. Like this is not even work for me.”
The cooking class is part of Woodward’s larger vocational program, which is overseen by Vocational Coordinator Melissa Rosenholtz, who’s worked at the center for 20 years and said students are introduced to a variety of career fields.
“We try to introduce them to different career areas that they might want to pursue or get an idea of what they don’t want to pursue,” Rosenholtz said.
Students can develop hands-on skills through vocational classes and jobs within Woodward before eventually moving into positions in the community. Rosenholtz said students have worked in local businesses, including Tropical Smoothie and Walgreens, as well as restaurants and law offices.
The culinary program has become one of those opportunities. Students who participate in the program work in the Woodward Café, which runs out of the school's kitchen. There, they shop for food, prepare meals, take orders, serve food and clean up.
Rosenholtz said the program has already helped students pursue careers in the field.
“Some of our graduates have gone on to successfully work in the field,” she said. “They’re really sticking with the skills they’ve developed here and they’re actually pursuing it.”
For Ingino, that’s the ultimate goal of the vocational program.
“The mission is to help each and every student become successful, independent adults,” he said. “Having this vocational skill is something they could use to get a job and support themselves in the future.”
While the cooking class provided students with a chance to learn new recipes and skills, the larger lesson was developing skills that can help them become more independent.
