Electives - Junior Master Chef students learn hands on skills, leadership and teamwork

Middle School students at The Grosse Pointe Academy have the unique opportunity to enroll in a variety of electives, from performing and visual arts to STEM and even Crime Scene Investigation. One such elective combines both the incredible resources the Academy Community has provided our students with skills such as presentation, teamwork and the real life skill of cooking.

Students enrolled in the Junior Master Chef elective are not only utilizing produce grown in our own greenhouse, but they prepare food in our state-of-the-art Cotton Classroom.  The elective, which runs on a trimester basis, aims to teach students basic culinary skills, which the students use to participate in a friendly “Chopped”-style competition.

Students work in teams to collaborate, creating a recipe based on a surprise ingredient. Each team creates a recipe utilizing the ingredient as well as fresh ingredients grown in the Academy greenhouse when possible. Each group then prepares their dish and presents it to a panel of judges.  As part of their presentation, each group member articulates to the volunteer judges what they made, what part they played in the preparation, if any items were used from the Academy greenhouse and what they learned as part of the process.

Students are encouraged to be creative with their dishes. For example, in “apple week,” one group made and served homemade ice cream and apple crumble, while another made homemade whipped cream paired with apple fritters.

In addition to taste, teams are awarded points based on nutrition, creativity, appearance, food prep station cleanliness, presentation and participation. At the end of the trimester the team with the most points will win the coveted Golden Spoon award.

Each elective opportunity at the Academy combines academic foundations with the opportunity to pursue new passions and discover new talents. Junior Master Chef students are learning about cultivating and growing fresh ingredients, working as a team, using leadership skills and being effective communicators in presentation. For additional information about any of our Middle School electives, contact us today.