With Bison prime rib, white cheddar-herb mashed potatoes, asparagus, Caesar’s salad and chocolate s‘more tarts on the menu, Executive Chef Jim Kyndberg and Senior Sous Chef Aaron Goodwin from our Radisson Plaza Hotel, Minneapolis took time away from the FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar to serve up a celebration meal at an event that will long be remembered by a group of young culinary protégés.
As part of the Kid’s Connection/Kid’s Café enrichment program sponsored by Twin Cities-based non-profit Perspectives, Inc., a group of 5th graders that live in families at-risk recently completed one of the organization’s most popular nutrition and culinary education programs called Kid’s Café. The program provides evening dinners, prepared by the students, to families receiving services from Perspectives, Inc. Under the direction of a full-time chef over the course of several weeks, these kids learned how to plan, prepare and serve nutritious meals, and through the opportunity, gained life-skills that the organization hopes can help them break out of the “cycle of despair and move into hope.” More than 600 at-risk family members are served by Perspectives each year, of which, 75 percent are at-risk children.
As part of the recent Kid’s Café 5th grade commencement dinner in Minneapolis, our own Executive Chef Jim Kyndberg and Senior Sous Chef Aaron Goodwin were invited to serve as “chefs-in-residence,” preparing and serving a delicious meal and taking part in a jacket ceremony, where each young graduate received his/her own embroidered chef’s coat.
Pictured above right (top): The 5th grade culinary graduates of Kid's Cafe with their new chef jackets; (bottom L-R): FireLake Executive Chef Jim Kyndberg, Chef Dan Tobvious-Kotyk from Perspectives, Inc., and FireLake Senior Sous Chef Aaron Goodwin.