Casa Valentina girls get lessons on cooking in Coral Gables

By Paradise Afshar / The Miami Herald

When Ivelissen stood in front of her cooking peers, she couldn't help laughing at her lack of coordination.

"How do you use a can opener?'' asked Ivelissen, 18, of Coral Gables in between laughs as she worked her way around a can of tomatoes. "I'm used to the electric ones.''

Ivelissen, a former foster child, was demonstrating her cooking skills, or lack thereof, at Whole Foods Market in Coral Gables recently.

It was part of a program run by Casa Valentina, a nonprofit based in Coconut Grove that works with former foster care girls to help them return to school, find jobs and develop life skills. Casa Valentina is working with 38 women between 18 and 22.

"In foster care on your 18th birthday you have to move out of your foster home and become independent,'' said Sharon Katz, program director of Casa Valentina.

"We want them to learn to cook different foods for themselves and to make different food,'' Katz said.

Ivelissen, who joined Casa Valentina in January, said living alone was not easy.

"I was like, 'Oh my God I'm by myself, this is scary,' '' Ivelissen said. "I taught myself how to cook and I'm learning now again.''

The class was taught by Sarah Davidoff, owner of the catering company Fare to Remember. Whole Foods donated the food.

The menu for the two-day program included black bean chili, pasta with tomatoes, brie and basil and asparagus with orange and ginger vinaigrette.

"I was thinking about affordable, healthy and easy meals to make,'' said Davidoff, who made all her meals. She said they were big enough to feed a family of four for less than $30.

Davidoff said at the start of the class she hoped to get as many questions as possible. The girls delivered, asking everything from the right type of pan to buy to inquiring about the different kinds of salt on sale.

Some, such as Misleny, 18, were eager to see if they could change the recipes.

"I'd make the pasta but without the cheese,'' said Misleny, of Miami, who said that cooking is in her blood.

"I'm half-Brazilian, half-Italian, so I enjoy cooking.'' Although she is quick to say that cooking for herself every night "get's old quick,'' Misleny said she learned a lot about food preservation and portion control from the class.

"If I'm only using half the broccoli I can put the other half in the freezer,'' she said.

Misleny has been with Casa Valentina since October, and said the organization has helped stabilize her life.

"The first night I was walking around my apartment thinking, `What am I going to do, what am I going to do,' '' Misleny said.

She is looking forward to spending some more time in the kitchen cooking -- and playing with recipes.

Katz said the classes are important because some of the young women come to Casa Valentina without knowing how to boil water for pasta. When Misleny and others learn to cook, they feel a sense of pride.

"I feel like a proud mother,'' Katz said.

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