CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What started as one curious youngster's trip to the farmers market turned into a trip around the world through food.
Marlee-Bay Forbes, 7, and her mom Sherika Culmer have long made the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market a part of their routine.
When Forbes saw Chef Gillian Howard doing a live cooking demonstration at the market, their weekly trips turned into something much more.
"Seeing some cooking shows and I was curious about it," Forbes said. "I like helping people."
After spending more than a decade in the U.S. Air Force, Howard, a Johnson & Wales University graduate, found a new love in food.
"I would always come home on leave and I would be like, 'You guys, guess what I had in Thailand or guess what I had in Belgium,'" Howard said. "It became important to me to come back and share that on a plate.”
With the interest of young people like Forbes and help from a former teacher, the Junior Cultured Chefs program was born.
“I taught elementary school for 30 years," Brenda Bivins, who assisted with the program's creation, said. "The whole idea is to bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the diets of children.”
The six-week, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based culinary camp is for ages 7 to 17.
“They go to different gardens. They learn how to plant. Maybe they want to go into agriculture fields. We teach them how to compost," Howard said. "It feels like being a part of something bigger than yourself and that is truly what I am here to live for."
The program is building skills for the future, one meal at a time.
“[Marlee-Bay] wants to be a chef now," Culmer said.
It's $30 to register for a two-hour class at the farmers market with lunch included. This summer, they plan to resume the six-week course with field and garden trips along with guest speakers.
To learn more about the program click here to send an email.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.