Cooking Lessons at the Colton Public Library

Do you like to cook and want to learn from a professional chef? If you do, you are in luck as the Colton Public Library has teamed up with Chef Alonso Alonso to create an informative and entertaining cooking demonstration that is free of charge and suitable for all ages. The most recent cooking demonstration was “Savory Sides” held on July 9 at the Colton Public Library. Alonso demonstrated how to make a simple macaroni and cheese sauce from scratch. He went over different ways to prepare twice-baked potatoes and created a variety of gratin dishes. Alonso explained that “gratin” is a culinary term for any oven-baked dish on which a golden brown crust of breadcrumbs, cheese and creamy sauce is formed. He said that if you have made a casserole in the past, you have made a gratin dish. Alonso shined as he lit up the room and inspired inquiries as he completed each dish. It was a small-scale version of the Emeril Lagasse show that originally aired on the Food Network. Alonso entertained and informed those in attendance about each recipe, and at the end, everybody got a chance to try each dish. “It started off kind of small, you know, the classes, and gosh they have really grown," said Library Board Trustee Pauline Lopez. "It's great and whatever he makes we get to eat." Library Supervisor Edward Pedroza, spoke of the history of this event. “When we originally decided to create something like this, it was geared toward our adult literacy program and that is a confidential one on one tutoring for adults who want to better their basic reading and writing skills. During the initial interview, we asked them what was the reason they came in to receive this help. A lot of times its different things like 'my child’s homework is getting increasingly hard for me to help them' or 'my husband was just diagnosed as a diabetic and he has to follow a specific menu and I have limited reading skills.'” Pedroza mentioned that it started off very informative; they broke down recipes and gave out handouts on healthy cooking. After the community got a handle on the recipes, one of the community members jokingly asked if they would show them how to make the recipes they learned. Pedroza, Alonso and the library staff have created an educational and interactive cooking demonstration that is great for the novice and the experienced. The program includes nine demonstrations a year. The “Summer Sweets” workshop will be held on Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. No registration is needed and walk-ins are welcome.