Baxter, a mother of two Marsden boys, graciously gave up her time to come and take our students through some cooking classes.
Baxter is the founder of Kitchens without Boundaries, an organisation that aims to bring people together around food and to bring different cuisines to people. Baxter says that working with kids is a part of her job that she thoroughly enjoys.
“It’s about education being more than just a book,” she says “Activities such as this are about providing a forum for learning about food and where it comes from.”
Throughout Friday morning, Year 9 and 10 students were rotated amongst seven different cooking stations and given the opportunity to try their hand at a wide range of culinary activities including flipping pancakes, taste-testing hummus and creating Vietnamese spring rolls.
Year 9 student Claudio Antoci says he enjoyed getting to learn about cooking and trying new things.
“This is the first time I’ve taken part in anything like this,” he says. “I love the way fun has been incorporated into the cooking process.”
Housemaster Ben Simperingham says they are very fortunate to have Mrs Baxter back for the second year, since this event in the Marsden calendar was launched in 2015.
“Vanessa provides a wonderful opportunity for the kids to develop some key life skills, and this year it has been great to see the inclusion of Year 12 students who took on leadership roles manning each of the cooking stations.”
Year 12 student Josh Grant adds that the activities have motivated him to do more cooking.
“It’s a new experience and one which is quite exciting. It’s great to watch the younger students excitement when they manage to flip over a successful pancake.”
