For students across Philadelphia, Vetri Cooking Lab is more than just a place to learn nutritious recipes—it’s a space where kids discover new skills, apply classroom knowledge in real-life situations, and build confidence through cooking and sharing a meal together.
At Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School, one of 25 locations where Vetri Cooking Lab is currently being offered, many students are enrolled in the weekly after-school program by their parents, while others join by recommendation from teachers.
“Some kids just need an outlet,” one teacher told us, referencing Logan, a student who often struggles with focus in class. However, in Vetri Cooking Lab, he thrives.
During a recent class, students gathered around Tracy (pictured here), one of Vetri Community Partnership’s Nutrition Educators, as she demonstrated how to create a flat surface to cut a cantaloupe for fruit salad. Nathan, a Vetri Cooking Lab participant, quickly chimed in, suggesting how to divide it evenly into twelve pieces—a small but meaningful connection that he made between the kitchen and math class.
The lesson continued with the main recipe: whole grain banana pancakes. To prepare the batter, students needed to create oat flour using an immersion blender—which ended up covering students in a cloud of oats! But Logan jumped in with an ingenious idea.
He grabbed a paper plate, cut a hole in the center, and slid it over the top of the blender like a shield. “Now it won’t spray everywhere,” he explained. Tracy tested his invention and it worked. No oat flour explosions, no mess. Just a simple, clever solution from a student who had been identified as someone who struggled at times in the classroom.
Before the session ended, students had the opportunity to gather fresh produce from a food distribution event happening in the cafeteria. When a large case of broccoli and zucchini arrived, their excitement was immediate. As they packed up to leave, they eagerly grabbed the vegetables, chatting about what they would cook with them at home.
Walking out with fresh ingredients in their arms and new experiences in their minds, the students left with more than learning just a new recipe. Logan’s inventive blender shield and Nathan’s cantaloupe division was a testament to the power of Vetri Cooking Lab—one that nurtures problem-solving, creativity, and a newfound confidence in and out of the kitchen classroom.
