Join Us For a Pilsen Foodies Showcase at Oggi Chicago

Culinary arts is the art of preparing food, cooking, and creating impeccable presentations. At the Rauner YMCA, Chicago teens are being groomed for entry in the workforce with collaboration, communication, and professionalism through the Pilsen Foodies program.

Join us in “bridging” the communities of Pilsen and Chinatown through teen art this Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oggi Chicago (2451 S. Oakley Ave.). Enjoy work from four After School Matters visual arts programs and breakfast provided by our culinary program, Pilsen Foodies!

Led by the Y's Senior Manager of Healthy Living Demonstration, Lyss Welding, Pilsen Foodies teaches youth how to create healthy dishes. While learning how to master in the art of cooking, the program is designed to practice leadership and team building in the process. In the final week of the program, Foodies youth participate in a showcase to really embody the knowledge and skills they have developed over the course of the program. Over two showcases (this being the second) youth collaboratively prepare a meal for their peers, families, and communities, and serve as panel experts on home-cooking and nutritious food access.

Our teens are motivated to make an impact on the health and wellness of their communities by sharing their knowledge of healthy cooking and connecting to others — their peers across the city as well as other generations — through food.