School is out for the summer at Humboldt High School in St. Paul, but the hallways are full of the overlapping sounds and smells of many foods being prepared at once.
It’s controlled chaos in the kitchen as students carefully scan recipes and chop, sautée and season dishes using the skills they've learned in the University of Minnesota Extension Cooking Matters for Teens program.
For the past six weeks, students have been meeting for two-hour sessions with volunteer mentors and Extension health and wellness coordinators Kloh Phillips, Thao Pham and Trip Haggenmiller. The teens get nutrition information, grocery budgeting and shopping advice, plus lessons in reading recipes, knife handling and food safety. They also received bags of groceries every week to practice cooking at home and share with their families.
Each Cooking Matters class is tailored to its participants — no two are exactly the same. “This is far more than a cooking class. It’s a space where students feel supported, valued and connected,” says Pham.
For this group of mostly Karen American teens, Extension staff prioritized cultural relevance by including recipes and techniques specific to Southeast Asian cuisine. Minnesota is home to the largest Karen community in the country with approximately 22,000 people. Many arrived as refugees from Burma and Thailand, and they have built a vibrant community centered in Ramsey County.
The program culminated in a friendly yet competitive cook-off challenge, where five groups of students and their mentors were given different three-course menus to prepare.
Each team appointed a “head chef” to wear the classic white hat and present their dishes to the judging panel. The winning team was rewarded with prizes of rice cookers and other equipment to inspire continued exploration in the kitchen.
Through shared meals and hands-on learning in the classroom and kitchen, students were able to bring new skills into their homes, strengthening both healthy habits and family traditions.
“The encouragement they received showed them that their community truly believes in their potential and is invested in their growth,” says Pham. “This experience will continue to shape their confidence and wellbeing long after the series ends.”
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