It’s amazing to see how children progress over a few weeks, from being awkward and uncomfortable with basic skills in the kitchen, to confidently chopping, measuring, sauteeing, and even washing dishes.

These kids at St. Joe’s Pro-Cathedral in Camden do not have to be told to wash their hands and tie their hair back when they enter the cafeteria kitchen. They even remind one another, if someone should forget. They quickly assemble behind a cutting board and start reviewing the week’s recipe and eyeing the ingredients. They each take a turn, reading the ingredients and pointing to them on the prep table, then reading through the recipe.

We were making Curried Chicken with Cauliflower, Apricots and Olives on this our fifth week and they quickly surmised that the first thing to be done was to get the chicken marinating.

“Does anyone know the purpose of marinating?” I asked.

“So the chicken can soak in the flavor?” said Amelia Barragan.

“Exactly!” I said. “These spices of curry, paprika and cinnamon are a healthy way to add so much flavor without salt or fat.”

Each student was assigned an ingredient to measure, and the marinade came together quickly, with Ezinne Ekeabu going down the list and asking each student to respond with “check” if their ingredient was added.

After the chicken thighs were placed in a ziplock bag, Amelia poured in the marinade and sealed the bag. Then came the fun part. Everyone wanted a turn mushing the marinade into the chicken.

Hugo Marcelino thought it resembled the brain from an animal they had studied in science class. “It feels cold and slimy,” said Amelia. But Sofia Rivera had a different reaction: “It feels awesome!”

The chicken was set aside to marinate, and the next job was cutting up the cauliflower, apricots and olives. Once we removed the leaves and started chopping the cauliflower, Genesis Bautista had a revelation: “It looks just like broccoli!” Miss Belinda explained that the little trees are called florets, a word derived from the French word florete, which means “little flower.”

The kids loved tasting the dried apricots, which Scarlette Godoy said reminded her of gummy candy and Christopher Ramirez said “tasted better than candy!”

The kids tossed the chopped cauliflower with olive oil and scattered it on the sheet pan, careful to spread it out on the pan, so it would roast and brown up. Next they sprinkled the chopped apricots and olives, and then the chicken thighs were placed on top, also spaced evenly apart.

We got the work space cleaned up, prep dishes done, the table set and had time to spare.

So each child talked about their heritage and their families favorite foods.

Hugo’s family, from Mexico, loves tamales. Genesis loves sushi but her family, also from Mexico, loves tacos and tamales. Sofia, whose family hails from Puerto Rico, said her family loves anything spicy, with chilies, hot peppers and siracha. Amelia’s family favorite is quesadillas, and they are from Colombia. Christopher’s family from Mexico loves pozole, a traditional Mexican stew, and ceviche. Izzene, whose family is Nigerian, loves rice and beans. We wish we could eat dinner with some of these families!

By the time we heard from everyone, our dinner was ready and there were raves all around for the chicken.

“Ummm, this is SO good!” said Sofia. “The flavors are melting on my tongue!” said Christopher.

The cauliflower and apricots and olives were not so well-received. But at least everyone gave them a try.

Perhaps some people wouldn’t appreciate your family’s foods the first time, I told them. Keep trying new things, you might find that your taste buds change as you get older.

Miss Belinda like it so much she was making it this weekend!