Local High School Student Rallies Peers to Give Back Through Culinary Creativity
In the picture, from left to right, are: Erik, Bryce, Angela, Alina, and Sophia
Local high school student Bryce is going above and beyond to make sure children in his community don’t go hungry. Thanks to his parents, who introduced him to Feeding San Diego when he was in middle school, Bryce has a burgeoning charitable organization on his hands. A senior at La Jolla High School, he is also the founder of the IvyMax Cooking Club. The club has published a cookbook, Any Teen Can Cook, and is donating all proceeds to Feeding San Diego. Read on to find out more about how Bryce is channeling his love of cooking into a project that brings him together with his peers to give back to the community (and follow along with the Cooking Club on Instagram here!)
Q: How did you find out about Feeding San Diego?
A: I discovered Feeding San Diego in middle school when my parents brought me there to volunteer. This was the first time I learned about the mission of Feeding San Diego. Since I had always been interested in cooking, volunteering at a food bank seemed most suited to my interests.
Q: What about Feeding San Diego’s mission inspires you?
A: I find the mission to combat childhood hunger inspiring because it provides fresh produce and staple goods to students who really need the nutrition to succeed in school. I am privileged enough to bring lunch from home, but I realized that many students attending my school rely on free or reduced-price school lunches. Knowing that some experience food insecurity and are unable to participate in extracurriculars or concentrate on their studies hurts me.
Q: Tell us about your cooking club. How did it get started? What is the focus?
A: The Cooking Club is a group of students dedicated to combating childhood hunger in San Diego County. I established the club to bring together students with a common love for food and cooking. We are focused on using our skills to raise awareness of food insecurity and improve our community. The club began with the idea to create a cookbook for teens with all proceeds donated to Feeding San Diego. With the book completed, we are fundraising through cookbook/bake sales as well as promoting the Feeding San Diego mission.
Q: How did you get others to get on board with supporting Feeding San Diego?
A: I based the club on the idea that we were to combat childhood hunger by working with Feeding San Diego. We recognized the efforts of Feeding San Diego had a clear impact in the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the beginning, our club only had a couple of members. We realized the name “Cooking Club” may turn away those who are not passionate about cooking but would want to support Feeding San Diego. We made a recruitment video that enforced the idea that even those who don’t like to cook, but have skills such as art, web design, and social media, could help contribute their talents to a worthy cause. Soon, our club expanded substantially, with members working on editing, art design, social media, and as content contributors (for our cookbook).
Q: What do you love about cooking?
A: I love cooking because of the rewards I get, both from the food and the experience. The main reason I enjoy cooking is the eating part. I love creating the dish that pleases my palette and satisfies my hunger. In addition, the process to create my dishes stimulates my creativity. Planning the meal, finding the right ingredients, balancing the flavors, and presenting the final dish is enjoyable and exciting.
Q: What kind of recipes are in Any Teen Can Cook?
A: Any Teen Can Cook has a total of 20 recipes consisting of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The general idea is that each recipe is simple to cook and only has ten ingredients or less. Though targeted towards teenagers to encourage them to make fresh, nutritious meals for themselves, anyone can cook with our recipes. However, there is a six-layer chocolate cake that breaks these rules, but because it is so delicious, we have kept it in the book.
Q: Why do you think it’s important to raise awareness about food waste and hunger?
A: Food is a necessity for life and disparities between food waste and hunger display a disregard for life. The idea that it is just cheaper to waste food than bring it to those who need it is disturbing. Letting others know that those who are hungry can have food that would otherwise be wasted may help solve these issues.
To purchase Any Teen Can Cook, click here. To learn more about starting your own fundraiser, click here.
