Spam musubi for lunch today and Pad Thai tomorrow: from planning to cleanup, seniors Kyle Ma and Tony Wu have led Pinewood’s Culinary Collective club, with their passion for cooking leading the way.
Each meeting begins with a slideshow presentation teaching background information about the dish of the day followed by tips and instructions on how to prepare it. Once the recipe is established, students get the opportunity to prepare the dish.
Ma has emphasized that the club’s priority is to help students develop necessary life skills.
“The main goal of the club is to get students ready to cook for themselves in college,” Ma said.
Beyond his goal of improving students’ independence after high school, Ma says that another goal is to spread his interest in cooking.
“I want to show [students] that cooking isn’t this grueling task for survival; it’s something fun and flashy,” Ma said.
Club advisor and biology teacher Monica Ventrice said Ma’s enthusiasm for the club is evident.
“Kyle is just super passionate, his energy [is] top level,” Ventrice said. “He’s really into it, not just for himself, but because he likes to share his passion.”
Although their current meetings are structured and engaging, the Culinary Collective did not start that way. Rather, it initially served as a bonding opportunity for friends to get together.
“[We had] cookouts we used to do, and that was our friend group thing,” Ma said. “From that passion for cooking, we founded the Culinary Collective.”
From then on, Ma began building a 13-person leadership team, an unusual feature for a Pinewood club.
“I think the very key part of keeping a club active is having a good leadership group, and we have a lot of very dedicated leaders,” Ma said.
Ma said having a large leadership team is especially important because Pinewood students are often busy, and the many leaders can make up for one another’s responsibilities.
“I also strive to have a very diverse leadership group so that everybody can have their own contributions to the club, allowing the club to have a wider input that way,” Ma said.
Noting the amount of work the leadership team puts into material preparation and meeting planning, Ventrice said the club has received a consistent turnout.
“I’ve advised quite a few clubs, and I think [Culinary Collective] is the most fun club I’ve ever advised,” Ventrice said. “Every meeting you come to, you know you’re going to make something.”
As Ma and Wu move on to college, Junior Nona Brozell is set to be the next leader, with Ma appreciating her initiative.
“When I asked her if she was willing to start stepping up and preparing for next year by taking care of meetings, she jumped at the opportunity and immediately started planning and stepping up to the role,” Ma said. “I think that you really must have passion in order for the club to thrive.”
Though leaving Culinary Collective behind, Wu and Ma will continue to participate in similar activities during college.
“Some of the dorms have kitchens on every single floor, so I think there will be more opportunities to create similar cooking gatherings,” Wu said.
