'Crazy cooks' broaden their palettes at The Out-of-Door Academy

When you ask children what their favorite food is, chances are their answers might be either chicken nuggets or pizza.

Sarasota resident Kristi Mezick, who is the founder and instructor of gymnastics, art and cooking for Pure Imagination Studio, would like to bring some changes to their answers. 

“I love cooking for myself, and I was finding kids’ palettes were shrinking," Mezick said. "So I wanted to teach children new cooking skills, because once they touch it and do it themselves, they're more likely to taste more food.”

So Mezick now leads the "Crazy Cooks" camp, which was held from June 16-20 at the Out-of-Door Academy with a second camp scheduled for July 7-11. Each day the camp, which was co-sponsored by Sarasota County Parks and Recreation, featured three-hour sessions in which the kids created two dishes and focused on food safety and trying new flavors. Mezick immediately saw some changes in what the students wanted to try.

But first, she noted that kitchen safety ranked at the top of the list so the young cooks could get started.

Lakewood Ranch 9-year-old Fred Bollman, who said it is important to follow food safety rules in order to make the best food. repeated some of the cardinal rules of the camp.

“You’ve got to get the right ingredients and don't burn yourself,” Bollman said. “Don't leave the food if you're cooking it ... don't leave it alone. Don't use tools wrong, and don't cut yourself or hurt yourself.”

Then Bollman was free to learn some new recipes to add to his favorites.

“I like steak, pizza and burgers,” Bollman said. 

Photo by Madison Bierl

While some of Mezick's students didn't have a lot of experience in the kitchen, Bollman hasn't been a stranger to cooking and baking.

He said he has made muffins, cake, cookies, brownies, and “normal food” like pasta.

Mezick likes to see her students become more comfortable in making recipes.

“It is just my interest in figuring out how to help kids become more confident,” Mezick said. “Are they all going to be chefs tomorrow? Probably not. Are they going to develop their palette a little more? Yes.” 

Viviana Ayala, a 7-year-old Siesta Key resident, was excited to try new recipes and dishes. She said she has had some experience with cooking pasta, eggs and chicken wings with her mom. But she was hesitant to try the meatballs they cooked at the camp. 

“Meatballs are just meat that's shaped as a ball,” Ayala said.

While that might be true, Ayala was prompted to try different foods.

“You shouldn't give up and just say you don't like things before you try it,” she said.

For example, Ayala said she has yet to try a mango, but she said it will be her next year's New Year’s resolution to try one. She is in no hurry, though, and said she doesn't mind waiting until the new year to try it. 

Lakewood Ranch resident Natalia Ventura is a team member at Imagination Studio who helped with the camp. She said Ayala was not scared to ask questions about the foods and recipes and was always raising her hand. 

Photo by Madison Bierl

“She’s always giving opinions on things and speaking her mind,” Ventura said. “She adds little anecdotes like, ‘Oh, my mom loves that type of food,’ so she's very involved.” 

“Seeing how fast these kids learn has definitely been shocking to me,” Ventura said. “From the jump, it was so hands on. I was scared at first, seeing them with the knives, but they learn so quickly, and you underestimate how much kids can do.”

Mezick said it was invaluable to have Ventura in the sessions.

“She is very active in helping children be more involved,” Mezick said. “If I turn around and I don't know where she is, she's actually squatted down with the children.”

Audrey Malinosky, a 7-year-old Greenbrook resident, said her favorite part of the camp was cooking meatballs. 

“It's meaty, it's crispy, and it's also yummy, too,” Malinosky said. “I put some tiny seeds on it to roll it up, and then we cooked it in the oven. When it said 'ding,' it was all done.” 

Mezick has been providing cooking programming for kids since 2013. She has hosted camps regarding arts and food, woodworking, mosaics and sewing.

“I was passionate about arts, and finding that kids were being stymied because they weren't allowed to touch things like permanent markers," Mezick said. "I was hearing the kids saying things like ‘my mom doesn't let me use the scissors.'

“I felt it was important to develop an arts program that was accessible ... not fine arts, but just like 'Here, let's pull the drill out' and 'Hey, what does it feel like to hold these materials?'”

Ventura said Mezick's passion drives everything.

"She's the best boss I've ever had, that's for sure," Ventura said. "She just cares, you know? She has such a big heart and it's not just like with the kids, it's with the employees, too. She's great."