Chef Traci Des Jardins Gets Cooking with Kids in the Garden at AT&T Park
- by Guest
Kids from the Boys & Girls Club’s Mission Clubhouse recently visited the Garden at AT&T Park for a special afternoon of culinary fun alongside award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins — who oversees several Bon Appétit specialty venues, including The Commissary, Arguello, and Public House.
Chef Traci Des Jardins with Lisette from the Boys & Girls Club
Our 25 little visitors were amazed to learn that Traci has five restaurants in San Francisco and is one of the top female chefs in the country. Although trained in French cooking, Traci likes to incorporate the Mexican flavors and techniques that she learned from her grandparents.
After exploring the garden’s bounty on a garden treasure hunt, the Boys & Girls Club rolled up their sleeves to cook a healthy meal. The kids prepared rainbow vegetable kabobs with Traci, using five vegetables growing in the garden: red and orange bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant. After Traci demonstrated how to use a knife safely and effectively, the kids were off with no hesitation! After all the vegetables had been sliced and skewered, Traci and her sous chefs seasoned them with salt, pepper, and herbs picked fresh from the garden.
Following the kabobs, the kids made banana-kale smoothies with two types of kale harvested straight from the garden, and flatbread pizzas with sauce made from garden ingredients: tomatoes, peppers, basil, and oregano.
Traci demonstrates knife safety for the kids. Photo courtesy of Kelly McLain/Boys & Girls Club
The afternoon finished with a picnic. “We’re great cooks!” said Lisette with a mouthful of pizza. And she was right!
We’d like to extend a special thank you to Traci for sharing her culinary passion and skills with our young guests. If you’re a local chef and would like to join us in the Garden at AT&T Park, please contact Community Development Manager Hannah Schmunk at [email protected].
Submitted by Hannah Schmunk, Community Development Manager