When little chefs ruled the roost

NAGPUR: Members of Nagpur for Kids Club (NFK) got a chance to learn culinary skills during a workshop organized by Cherries and Chillies restaurant on Hill Road, Gandhi Nagar, on Thursday. The theme of the workshop was ‘fun with cupcakes’.
Aiming to introduce young minds to cupcake baking, the workshop was streamed live on Facebook. The workshop was conducted by Harsh Mandlekar, also known as Little Baker Harsh as he is one of the youngest chefs in the city.
Pooja Mandlekar, director of Cherries and Chillies Restaurant, said, “Children have loads of talent.All they need is a push and guidance. We aim to introduce basic concepts of baking accompanied with fun.”
The workshop was divided into two sessions. The first session was demonstration-based, where kids where shown how to prepare the batter and fill the mold. Children were given a time limit to bake and they got a first-hand experience on the techniques of baking.
Harsh said, “Making cupcakes seems simple, but requires precision and passion. I encourage more children of my age to choose culinary as a career option as it enhances one’s personality and adds to our overall development.”
He said cooking is met with prejudice many times and most parents do not consider it a valid career option in our country. “But with changing times, many youngsters are entering the culinary field,” he said. Harsh shared his experience with the children and motivated them to follow their passion.
The second session was all about baking. Children were given cupcakes and were asked to put icing on them. All of them designed their own cupcakes and the best three were selected by Harsh.
Harsh also showed the children how to make rose petals and different designs during the icing procedure.
Dr Vimmi Goel, a parent, said, “Cooking gives children a sense of accomplishment and instils confidence in them. This way, summer vacations are properly utilized. Also, learning experiences of my children have increased tremendously.”
NFK member Hrishika Mingal said, “This workshop is an experience of a lifetime. The activeness and life in the workshop is so energetic, with explanations and recipes so easy and fun to make.”
Harsh added, “Cooking is an art and art requires practice. If the practice is sweet and beautiful as our cupcakes, satisfaction blooms in our heart.”
Reporting by Praveen Tewari
QUOTES
I loved the recipes. The explanation was very good and interesting
Atharva Dixit | Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School
I had fun at the workshop. The icing activity was full of fun
Bhumi Agrawal | Bhavan’s, Shrikrishna Nagar
I designed my first cupcake. I will go home and make it again
Daksh Goyal | Bhavan’s, Shrikrishna Nagar
I will go home and search videos on YouTube about making cupcakes. The activity is so interesting
Ishan Ghosh | CPS, Katol
The cupcakes were very tasty. The different types of icing were very good
Fiza Naithani | DPS, Kamptee