A Lynbrook lesson in delicious

Spanish teacher Danielle Leighley, at counter on right, with her class and two Al la Carte Chefs, George and Katie, back row right.

Courtesy Danielle Leighley/Lynbrook Schools

On January 11, Spanish teacher Danielle Leighley took her 9th- grade Level II Honors class to the A la Carte Cooking School on Atlantic Avenue in Lynbrook for a fun, hands on and delcious field trip.

“This trip provided the students with an opportunity to improve their understanding of Spanish and Hispanic culture,” said Leighley, “by introducing them to various types of Mexican and Spanish cuisine and to the origins and uses of assorted Spanish spices.”

The students, with the help of a la Carte’s Chef Katie and Chef George, worked in five groups to create different parts of the meal. l

said student Navin Dookhan, “yet they really let us take over and actually cook the meal ourselves.” Classmate Vivek Shah agreed. “I can’t believe we actually made tortillas from scratch!”

When all the cooking and cleaning was done, they all sat down to eat their delicious creations of tortillas, cheese quesadillas, tortilla de patata, pico de gallo and guacamole, chicken paella, and arroz con leche. “That was the best guacamole I have ever tasted!” said student Marlena DiPalo.

The students were also able to use some of their Spanish language skills while cooking. “It was a fun experience learning about different Hispanic foods and then actually cooking them,” said student Alec Ettlinger.

“It was fun cooking with friends!” said student Zoe Stryker, summing up the culinary experience.