Oxford Native, Cooking Enthusiast Loves to Spread Joy of Cooking With LOU Youths
Elizabeth Speed cooks with kids in Oxford, Mississippi
Elizabeth Speed cooks with kids in Oxford, Mississippi. Photo by Jackson Solari

Jackson Solari, HottyToddy.com 

Children of the Oxford community recently had a chance to sharpen their skills and talents in the culinary arts with FUNdamentals Cooking Class for Kids. 

FUNdamentals Cooking Class, specifically designed for children ages 8-13, focuses on teaching children how to properly prepare meals in the kitchen. The class, held at the Oxford Park Commission Stone Center building, starts with a beginner class and ends with an intermediate class. The class is taught by Oxford native Elizabeth Speed who prefers “hands-on teaching/learning styles” to impact the budding chefs.

Main points of the class consist of knife safety, culinary terms and how to read a recipe.

“The goal of the class is to have the kids be curious about what they are eating, to cook with and for their families, and to have an experience that helps them to become more independent,” Speed said. […]

Speed said she began teaching cooking classes with an after-school club while she was a FoodCorps service member with Good Food for Oxford Schools. FoodCorps is an organization that helps connect children to healthy food in school so they can live healthier lives and reach their full potential, according to its website.

After Speed’s time with FoodCorps, she still wanted to pursue service work. She didn’t see an opportunity for LOU children to learn cooking outside of their homes.

“I wanted to fill that niche,” she said.