The familiar boxes of Girl Scout Cookies were nowhere in sight on the morning of April 7, when four members of Troop 1322 traded sweets for sauté pans inside the kitchen of Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital.
Instead of selling treats, the Hauppauge middle schoolers stepped behind the scenes with the hospital’s executive chef for a hands-on lesson in healthy cooking, part of their effort toward earning the Girl Scouts’ prestigious Silver Award and a larger mission to inspire better eating habits among kids their age.
The Silver Award, the second-highest honor in Girl Scouting, requires participants to complete at least 50 hours of work on a sustainable, community-focused project. Scouts must research an issue, develop a solution and create something that continues to make an impact beyond their direct involvement, often through education, outreach or ongoing programs.
For their soon-to-launch YouTube channel, “Real Food Real Aesthetic,” the Scouts set out to turn a simple kitchen visit into a powerful lesson on nutrition, wellness and the fight against childhood obesity.
Inside the bustling hospital kitchen, the group gathered around prep stations as Executive Chef Russell Ficke demonstrated techniques and offered guidance while keeping it fun.
Fresh ingredients, including zucchini, mushrooms, onions and ground beef, were spread across the counters as the girls mixed, shaped and prepared their meal, stepping into chef coats and taking on an active role in the process.
Ficke, who has spent more than two decades with Northwell Health, led the group through a “hidden vegetable burger,” showing how familiar foods can be made healthier without sacrificing taste.
Between demonstrations, Ficke offered the Scouts and their parents practical tips on meal planning, incorporating fresh ingredients and making healthy cooking manageable even with busy schedules.
He emphasized that convenience often drives unhealthy choices, but small adjustments — like preparing meals ahead of time or incorporating vegetables into everyday dishes — can make a lasting impact.
“People in the hospital aren’t changing the way they eat unless they want to,” he said. “But if you teach them while you’re young, that’s when they learn.”
He said the lesson was designed to show how early choices can shape long-term health. “What they learn now, if they use it, it’s going to help them later on in life,” he added.
Registered dietitian Cleopatra Tsanis-Tsirnikas echoed that message, helping connect the cooking lesson to broader health concepts while answering questions from both the Scouts and their parents.
“One thing we lack in the U.S. is nutrition and everyday life education,” she said. “We focus so much on math and science, but we don’t educate on daily life and preventive measures to be healthy later.”
For troop leader and parent Danielle Coysh, the hospital visit is just one step in a broader, student-driven initiative. The Scouts are dedicating their time to a project that is both educational and lasting.
“They’re going to make short videos making different snacks and then put it on a YouTube channel,” Coysh said, noting that the group also plans to share the lessons in schools and libraries to teach younger Scouts what they’ve learned.
The idea for the visit came after the troop saw Ficke featured on a local television segment and reached out, turning inspiration into action.
The four Girl Scouts — Liliana Coysh, Alli Vicchiarelli, Tori Sznurkowski and Kayla Gentile — plan to build on the experience by creating recipes and content that explains not just how to cook, but why certain ingredients matter.
As they worked, the girls also reflected on what they hoped their project would accomplish.
“We’re creating a YouTube channel that is entertaining to help kids our age eat healthier,” Liliana, 11, explained, describing their goal of making content that is both informative and engaging.
By the end of the session, the hands-on experience had already made an impression.
“We learned there are many ways to incorporate healthy food into your diet,” Kayla, 13, said. “Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring,” she added.
The group highlighted the fun of the day, noting that tasting the finished dishes was a favorite part.
Through “Real Food Real Aesthetic,” the Girl Scouts aim to encourage kids to make smarter choices, try new foods and see healthy eating not as a chore, but as something creative, achievable and beneficial for their long-term health.
