Schools
Hyde-Addison Gourmands Cook Up a Storm at Al Tiramisu
The Italian restaurant on P Street in Dupont Circle hosted 10 student chefs today.
The ten members of the cooking club walked with their teacher and chaperones to a cooking class at Al Tiramisu in Dupont Circle P Street, just over the Rock Creek Parkway bridge. This is club week at the Georgetown elementary school and the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students became chefs for the afternoon, while enjoying a fresh Italian meal they made themselves.
Chef Luigi Diotaiuti, executive chef and owner of Al Tiramisu, is celebrating the 15th year of his Dupont Circle restaurant and the 150th anniversary of Italy as a United Republic by teaching cooking classes. His classes for adults will cover all 20 regions of Italy, but today he closed the restaurant for lunch to teach a few aspiring young chefs.
Though Chef Luigi, as he is called, says he has never held a cooking class for students, he fell naturally into the role of playful teacher, providing guidance and keeping the young chefs engaged.
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He said he loved how "very open" they were and how each student was an eager participant in the cooking process.
To begin the lesson, the students washed their hands, donned their aprons and got to work. They mixed together the ingredients for ricotta gnocchi and then kneaded and rolled the dough. Using spatulas they cut the dough into 1-inch slices that would soon become gnocchi.
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Once the counters (and all hands) were cleaned of flour, Chef Luigi brought out a tray of olives that he fashioned with other olives to create ears, turning olives into "happy bunnies." (See photo)
He talked about creating a simple salad using mixed greens and a simple dressing. The chef pulled out his secret weapons: balsamic vinegar and olive oil. With a swift movement he drizzled the two on the lettuce and let one of the students toss the lettuce to coat.
As they enjoyed their salad, one student remarked that she had never had olives before but that she liked it.
"Welcome to the world of olives" exclaimed Chef Luigi. His enthusiasm was contagious and had students asking for seconds.
They students later returned to the kitchen to boil the gnocchi and learn the fine art of tossing the pasta in sauce.
Chef said the class was about introducing students to new ingredients and teaching them that cooking is an experience, something to be enjoyed.
"There is a lot of passion involved" in cooking he said as he encouraged the students to always try something new.
"At some point, you will love everything" he said to the few students with doubtful expressions.
The outing was organized by Leah Stein, a teacher and inclusion specialist at Hyde, thanks to the support of parent chaperones Tina Nadler and Kelly Callahan.
Nadler's husband is the co-director of the adolescent obesity center at Children's National Medical Center and put the school in touch with Il Tiramisu to encourage healthy eating habits for students. Callahan helps run the school garden.
Chef Luigi will go to Hyde-Addison Thursday and cook on site with the same cooking club participants. He will use fresh ingredients from the school garden, such as basil, to create another healthy Italian treat.
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