The food class at Shepaug Valley School is still going strong. The new kitchen is finally complete, and we hope to be in session for the full semester, which did not happen last year due to the Covid-19 virus. Although this class is a result of the agriscience renovation to Shepaug Valley School, the foods class is open to all Shepaug high school students as a semester-long elective.

The class is taught by Rachell Murray who studied agriculture, natural resources, and sustainable food sources at Green Mountain College and The University of Connecticut. Ms. Murray and some of the students in her class provided valuable information about the cooking/culinary arts program at Shepaug.

When interviewing Ms. Murray, we asked if this had been the first foods class. Ms Murray said,  “No it is not, the first one was last year before Covid. But this will be the first semester long class,” and “is a fantastic class that is oodles of fun.” We also asked if the students enjoyed the class and what their favorite meal to prepare, Ethan Willams stated “we have made a lot of fun stuff but my favorite was my fried dumplings.” And another student, Cody Guldi, added that “grilled-cheese is my favorite”.

With a variety of foods being made such as chicken quesadillas, macaroni  and cheese, rice bowls, grilled cheese, and more, students are able to pick what foods that they want to prepare. They study food culture, time period, comfort foods, and even fad diets to make good decisions about what they want to make and eat during their class time.

We both got the pleasure of eating a grilled cheese sandwich made by Ms. Murray which was very delicious and we enjoyed it a lot. At the end of the day, the new Shepaug cooking class has a healthy and fun working environment enjoyed by both Ms. Murray and her students.