TULSA, Okla. –
Alumni of the Global Gardens after-school program gathered for the organization’s cooking camp, where they are working alongside chefs from the Et Al Collective to create dishes that reflect their personal identity.
Thirteen-year-old Esperanza Carter diced poblano peppers for a corn salad.
“It’s very fun,” Carter said. “It’s really cool to get to work with the chefs and hear their feedback because my mom cooks a lot, but she doesn’t have a culinary degree or anything. So, it’s really awesome.”
Carter chose to make arepas, a traditional Venezuelan dish that connects her to her family’s roots.
“You fill it with whatever you want,” Carter said. “They eat it all kinds of ways. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I don’t know about dessert, but you could probably find a way.”
She said preparing the dish is meaningful.
“I chose to make this dish because my family is Venezuelan, and so it’s really special and close to my heart to get to represent them,” Carter said.
For Carter, cooking is also practical. She is gluten-free and says knowing how to prepare her own meals gives her more options.
“It’s nice to be able to cook for myself what I want to eat,” Carter said.
Jenni Yoder, Global Gardens program director, said students are encouraged to create meals that tell a story.
“Their dish represents some part of them, their identity,” Yoder said. “So it could be their culture, their family, their family dynamic, or foods that their family loved. It also takes inspiration from the garden and the celebration of vegetables.”
Global Gardens operates in nine schools across Tulsa Public Schools, where students tend gardens for hands-on learning experiences.
During the camp, students are refining their recipes over two days, adjusting flavors and techniques before serving the finished dishes at the organization’s Glow Gala in March.
Organizers say the experience gives students practical kitchen skills and a chance to see how food can express who they are.
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