Cooking with Chef Cassetta at Lewiston High School

Eliza Waciba
Meta Elembe
Safa Ali
Wendy Cassetta
Marwa Ali
Amina Mohamed
Lorie Ninganza
Nyota Waciba

Wendy Cassetta, school counselor at Lewiston High School (LHS) and site coordinator for the 21st Century afterschool enrichment program, also happens to be a former chef from Portland. She put her skills and background to work this spring by leading an afterschool cooking class for a group of students from Djibouti, Tanzania, Burundi, and Somalia. “Having the facilities to do the class at school is a great perk to working at LHS,” Ms. Cassetta said. First, she asked students to fill out a survey about what they wanted to learn to cook. They chose chicken cutlets, curry rice with toasted almonds and raisins, and a pink mini ombre cake with cream cheese frosting. “It’s really fun to cook and hang out with students while they do something creative,” Ms. Cassetta said. The cooking class will be offered again in the fall, most likely through 21st Century. The plan is to explore cooking styles and recipes from around the world. “Food brings everyone together!” said Ms. Cassetta.