Cook Italy in Action
Session 2
Decorations, lights and big Christmas tree adorned the tranquil dinning hall of the Girl's Mercy Home Campus on the evening of December 8, 2008. However, next door the kitchen was buzzing and full of life, filled with young, energetic chefs learning and cooking up great meals to share with their friends. A very, Merry Christmas-themed session of Cook Italy was held featuring about 50 young women of Mercy Home.
The cooking lesson was instructed by Mr. John Nitti, President of Isola Imports, Inc. and Founding President of Cook Italy, who generously supplied all the food products. He not only taught the girls how to prepare fresh fruit, Italian salads and make the delicious pumpkin risotto, but also gave a little history behind all the Italian food used, such as which Italian regions balsamic vinegar and parmigiano-reggiano come from.
While one group of girls learned how to cook, another group of Mercy Home girls were with Ms. Joanne Kouba, RD, LDN and her group of students (soon-to-be Dietitians) from Loyola University, who gave a presentation and held an interactive discussion with the girls afterward on eating right.
Next, it was time to eat! Fr. Scott Donahue, President and CEO of Mercy Home, arrived just in time, lead the group in prayer and joined the girls for the outstanding dinner. After the food was eaten, John Nitti surprised everyone with a traditional panettone cake for Christmas and amaretti cookies.
When asked if the girls enjoyed the evening, all replied with an enthusiastic "YES!", and many of which expressed their fondness of cooking. The Cook Italy Educational Foundation is truly achieving its goal to help teach young adults the value of gastronomic education and that it can be fun and easy to cook a nutritious meal for themselves and share it with others.
The next Cook Italy session will be held in March 2009.
Session 1
On Monday, October 6th, several young men from the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls (MHBG) received fun and entertaining classes on Italian culture, cuisine and the benefits of living a healthy and nutritious lifestyle. The Cook Italy Foundation, in collaboration with Mercy Home, and Loyola University Chicago kicked off this month and proved to be a great success!
The young men of Mercy Home spent their afternoon receiving lessons on the health benefits of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine taught by Joanne Kouba, a nutrition expert from Loyola University Chicago. After the nutrition orientation, the teens prepared authentic Italian pizzas and salads, all made with fresh, organic ingredients under the supervision of Chef Federico Commachio from Phil Stefani's 437 Rush Restaurant. All food products and ingredients were generously donated by John Nitti, President of Isola Imports, Inc.
After the lessons were received and the food was prepared, they presented and shared their homemade meals with their peers at Mercy Home, followed by a survey that all participants took regarding their food and nutrition knowledge and what they learned from this experience.
Cook Italy was created to help instill gastronomic education and give insight and opportunities to the children and young adults of the MHBG to educate them in an enjoyable, unique way with a hands-on approach to learning throughout the year.
The next Cook Italy session will be held December 8, 2008 featuring the young women of the MHBG and Tony Priolo, Executive Chef and owner of Piccolo Sogno Restaurant.