spike

ahhh. the weekend.
finally time to write about the most exciting day the shorties had last week!

a while back, i ran into spike gjerde, a chef i worked for while in college. we were talking about my new teaching career. (surprisesurprise, i was talking about the shorties!)

when i told him how much the kids like to cook, he invited me to bring them to his restaurant, joy america café’! how awesome and generous to invite a group of third-graders into your fine-dining restaurant! not only did they get a tour, but they got to cook!

they made quesadillas and, for dessert, flourless chocolate cakes topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce!
of course, before making dessert, they did a taste-test of milk and dark chocolate from france. they literally ate handfuls of the stuff.
aaaaaaaaand…
they got to taste homemade plantain chips and witness how an entire rockfish is cut into fillets and skinned.
they were introduced to squeezing limes over spicy spanish peanuts as a snack and allowed to brave the heat of hot peppers from around the world.


spike encouraged them to discuss the flavors and spices in the food they were eating while sitting at a table clothed with white linen.

afterwards, we raced to the top of federal hill and worked off our lunch zooming around the playground.
rolling down the hill back to the van burned even more calories!

when we got back to the school, the shorties actually got their reading pillows and collapsed into sleeping piles on the floor for the last half hour before they had to go home. hee!

what a day! so. if you get a chance to eat at joy america (in the visionary arts museum) in baltimore, please give kudos to chef spike for having a big heart and being so kind to shorties!


(click on the pictures and you can see more of our day!)