By Sarah Brooks, ACE Field Correspondent and student at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, CA

After school on January 20th, I decided to participate in Cooking 101, a monthly course hosted by the Seedling Project, which gives students the unique opportunity to work hands-on with professional chefs from CulinArt. Incorporating fruits, vegetables and herbs from the Marlborough School Sustainable Garden, in this course I learned how to successfully cook healthy, nutritious meals using these locally grown ingredients.

When the much-anticipated 2:45pm bell rang, I was pleasantly surprised to find students ranging from the seventh through twelfth grade gathered in the School’s cafeteria, Cafe M. As a member of the Seedling Action Team, I was not only eager to attend the course as a participant but also, I was eager to see the outcome of the Action Team’s hard work and preparation.

Chef Angel taught us how to prepare Italian minestrone soup that was finished in less than twenty minutes! This fresh soup was easy to make and epitomized how flavorful simple food can be.

Next, we assembled our own salads using crisp arugula, tomatoes and herbs that the Action Team had just picked from the Garden. These ingredients all had incredible flavor and vibrant colors!

Finally, our next task was to create individual sized pizzas topped with an array of fresh cheeses, homemade pesto and tomato sauce which we all helped to prepare and season.

This course was a great experience because it really opened my eyes to the world of sustainable, organic cooking. In addition, this course really allowed me to consider where the food that I eat comes from and the way that it is produced… something that I do not contemplate as much as I should. And really, to me, that’s the joy of cooking- discovering the interconnection between people, food and our land.