News - Food Services Department Hosts Exciting Cooking Classes with Chef Amee

Published on February 26, 2026

The Food Service Department is partnering with Chef Amee’s Playing With Food Cooking and Gardening School to broaden students’ skills in the kitchen and expand their palettes during increasingly popular cooking classes. The 5-week series classes which host 12 students each started out at Troy Intermediate, rotated to Eastview Elementary, and are back at Troy due to ever increasing student interest. These exciting sessions will be offered at Redwood Elementary next, but the date is to be determined. Chef Amee Hoge-Dunfee, a culinary and gardening instructor, food stylist, and photographer, is joined by a food service worker for each class. Chef Amee, a graduate of the prestigious French Culinary Institute (NYC), is passionate about teaching kids about important life skills such as washing dishes, cleaning while cooking, appreciating new foods, comprehending, and executing recipes, listening to each other, following instructions, and the importance of teamwork. She also shares the science and nutritional components of food and cooking during each tutorial.

5^th and 6^th grade students at Troy Intermediate School recently wrapped up their cooking classes on Wednesday, February 25^th. They are excited to share their cooking knowledge and skills with friends and family, which include making a variety of recipes, including grilled chicken burrito bowls, banana dulce de leche mousse, French Nicoise salad with tuna bowls, and puff pastry with cream cheese and preserves. This is the second year of offering these popular classes, which are funded and hosted by the Food Services Department. Special thank you is extended to Andrea Sokolow, Food Service Supervisor, for her coordination and support for this initiative. Finally, thank you to Chef Amee for sharing her knowledge and passion for cooking with our students!