On our second week, the kids did a great job, peeling the carrots, chopping the celery, slicing the red peppers into strips for the crudite, and then slicing the tomatoes and cutting up the basil that we were adding to a basic grilled cheese. Several of the students said they had made a grilled cheese before, Amir Leon said he had made one in a pan on the stove, while Cassandra Callazo said she had made one in the microwave. “It just melts the cheese,” she said.

We were doing it a little differently, making several sandwiches at once on a sheet pan, and serving it with raw vegetables and homemade Ranch dressing.

The girls took on the job of making the ranch dressing, while the boys spread mayo on the bread, then assembly line, placed the bread on the sheet pan and layered on the cheese, tomatoes and chopped basil and the second slice of bread.

Once we slid the sheet pan in the oven, it cooked in a flash in the industrial convection oven, and came out looking golden brown and toasted.

“The grilled cheese were well-received, even though some of the tomatoes came off and were left on the plates.

“Is it bussin’?” Amir asked Jason “Magic” Mora, using a term the kids use for really good. “It is,” he said after taking a bite. “You should eat it.”

“Extra thumbs up,” said Cassandra.

The raw vegetables and Ranch dressing were not as popular, though Yareli Nunez was a huge fan and brought home a bag of leftover veggies and a container of homemade ranch to share with her family.

Another student wandered by while we were eating and asked if he might try one. The students generously shared a half sandwich and the young man was duly impressed. “Wow, you made this?” he said. “It’s excellent. What’s in this?”

Perhaps the most rewarding moment for me was when Amir recounted all the ingredients and, in perfect order, recited the instructions for putting the sandwich together. “It was easy!” he said.