By Arohee Temurnikar, 8IGA

Out of all the skill-based labs in our SMART Campus, the Culinary Lab entices me the most. When we received an email about the upcoming culinary Lab CCA, I was super excited as I love cooking, baking and learning new recipes. I signed up immediately and was eagerly waiting for the classes to start.

It was exciting to see my other friends also join the culinary class and I was sure that we will cook up a storm together!

Our instructor, a chef by profession, seemed to be very friendly. He first gave an overview of the lesson plan and passed us a recipe booklet that shared some basic tips of cooking. Then there was an interesting session on the science behind cooking the dishes. We were going to start the lessons by cooking Italian dishes. The instructor first demonstrated the basics of Italian cooking and then divided us into teams of two. I and my partner immediately started making the Alfredo sauce from scratch. He kept supervising and come to help us from time to time. At the end of the class, we had a lavish spread of garlic bread, pasta and salad, all made by the students. We hungrily finished all the stuff. I took a small portion home to impress my parents.

Next was the turn to learn Indian cooking. We started by learning about Indian spices and how to enhance the flavour and aroma of the dishes. We prepared daal tadka, vegetables, and jeera rice. I am happy that under instructor’s able guidance, I could finally cook independently. We realised that cooking needs a lot of patience and hard work, right from boiling, chopping and cooking, and this experience helps us appreciate the people who cook for us every day.

Our Chef told us that we will be learning Mexican dishes next time, I can't wait to make some of my favourite dishes. I am proud that going forward I can independently cook healthy and tasty food. It’s great that GIIS has given us the opportunity to learn key skills that we can use lifelong.