By Samantha Russell

WESTPORT — Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and children at Wakeman Town Farm got ready for the feast last Friday. 

Chefs Robyn Herman and Kathleen Benson hosted a Thanksgiving cooking class for kids in second through sixth grades to make treats for the holiday. The nine participants, all boys, used their burgeoning culinary skills to create a turkey pot pie and cranberry-oatmeal cookies.

The hour and a half class featured demonstrations and instructions by the chefs, but the boys put together the meals on their own. There was a communal cookie tray for all their treats, but each young chef had a personal tin for their own pot pie. Half of the group worked with Chef Herman and the other with Chef Benson. 

“The concept is that we don’t cook kid food, we cook adult food,” Herman said. “See, we’re making a roux and they’re five [years old].” 

With chilly weather of about 40 degrees outside, pot pies and cookies helped warm the group’s holiday spirits. 

Both chefs offered guidance, explaining the rationale for certain steps and ingredients to the children, for example, that they crack eggs into separate bowls to avoid loose shells.

Except for a few newcomers, most of the boys were returning Wakeman chefs. Ten-year-old Reid Moritz said he also cooked a pot pie last Wednesday in his weekly cooking class. Herman typically leads Wednesday classes and Benson teaches Monday classes, with each chef helping out the other. 

Forty-five minutes into the class, the groups switched tasks, exchanging their work on the pie crusts and vegetable filling for flour, sugar and cranberries for the cookies. Benson explained to her group that while the farm is currently “dormant, we grow a lot in the summer.” 

The boys’ knife skills were put to the test along with molding cookies, making a roux and assembling their pies. “I love to cook,” Reid said. “Me and my grandma used to cook.” 

Lessons on kitchen safety, taking turns and dining etiquette also were taught. As the food baked, the kids were free to chat and joke with one another. 

When the meal was ready, the nine young chefs sat together at a long table in front of the kitchen.

Sitting down and coming together are “all part of the community” these classes aim to achieve, according to Benson. Child and adult chefs helping one another creates an atmosphere of collaboration and authentic connection, she said.

“I’m an eating machine,” said Adam Katz Burger when asked if he wanted to wrap up his meal, an option for the kids who could not finish. The young chefs celebrated the success of their meals, first enjoying the pot pies and soon after relishing their cookies.

Chef Herman said the community farm’s special, themed classes typically occur monthly. Although there will be none in December, there will be one in January, featuring dumplings and Valentine’s Day treats. 

“I honestly come to work, and I’m excited,” Benson said of her culinary position. She is from the West Coast with a passion for cooking, and is the owner of the Culinary Kids Cooking Co.

 Herman used to work in advertising and print for The New York Times. As the digital world expanded and print began to disintegrate, she began thinking about one of her major interests — children and cooking — and transitioned to become a chef and instructor at Wakeman.

Wakeman Town Farm aims to “serve the community as an educational demonstration center for sustainable living,” according to the farm’s website, and classes and activities for all ages are offered.

Samantha Russell is a Westport Journal intern.