NT_062118

16 | June 21, 2018 | The Northbrook tower NEWS
northbrooktower.com
Northbrook residents find valuable lessons at kids baking camp
Weekly sales raise
funds for cancer
charity
Erin Yarnall
Contributing Editor
The summer cooking
camps at Taste Buds
Kitchen in Bannockburn
have two goals this year
— to teach children an appreciation
for cooking, and
to raise more than $4,400
at their weekly bake sales.
Taste Buds Kitchen is a
kitchen that hosts events
throughout the year and
camps during the summer
and school holidays
for children, and the bake
sales are part of the summer
camps.
The cooking camps
feature cooking lessons
structured around a theme
throughout the week, with
4- to 8-year-olds attending
for three hours in the morning,
and 9- to 13-year-olds
attending in the afternoon.
“We offer registration
by the day because we understand
that family schedules
are all different,”
said Lake Forest resident
Amanda Marijanovic, the
kitchen owner at the Bannockburn
location.
Every day, campers
are taught different skills
that are essential to cooking,
from introducing the
younger campers to new
flavors, to perfecting the
art of plating with older
campers. Then, they make
four recipes, including
both sweet and savoury
foods.
“The kids are making
everything hands-on from
scratch,” Marijanovic said.
“So our instructors are
guiding them through all
of the activities and teaching
them about new ingredients,
techniques and
tools, and then the kids are
doing everything.”
The camp focuses on exposing
campers to different
ways of cooking, and
different foods.
But once a week, camps
run a little differently.
On Thursdays, campers
work together to make two
baked-good items that follow
the weekly theme to
sell at a bake sale.
Although the day is
structured differently,
there’s still an emphasis
on teaching cooking techniques
to the campers.
“We focus more on measuring
techniques and being
really precise in what it
takes to be a good baker,”
Marijanovic said. “But, the
day is really all about how
it feels good to help the
charity.”
The bake sale has no set
prices, it’s donation based,
and in 2017 the kitchen
raised $2,200 for charity.
Northbrook resident Pamela
Manicioto agreed,
saying that it’s good for
the campers to learn the
importance of giving back
at an early age.
“It’s good for them to
learn that early on, so
hopefully it sticks,” Manicioto
said.
Manicioto sends her
son, Luca, 3, to the camp
because it came highly
recommended.
“He loves it and it’s really
hard to find a camp
Luca Manicioto, 3, of Northbrook, pays for cookies for his mom, Pamela, on June 14
at Taste Bud Kitchen’s bake sale. Erin Yarnall/22nd Century Media
for little ones,” Manicioto
said.
Highland Park resident
Ruby Perlowski, 8, discovered
a new appreciation
for mushrooms after
attending the camp.
“I didn’t really like
them the first time I tried
them,” Perlowski said.
“But then we made risotto
[at the camp] and then put
mushrooms in it. It was so
good.”
“I think it’s a good lesson
all around for [my
daughter],” Deerfield resident
Melissa Basa said.
The bake sales raised
more than $2,200 last year
and are hoping to double
that amount in donations
throughout this summer.
“To have that opportunity
for [the campers] to just find
something that they can really
relate to, in a way that
is still doing something
that they’re really excited
and passionate about is really
cool,” Marijanovic
said. “They’re doing something
fun, they’re having an
amazing camp experience,
and they’re helping kids that
are just like them.”
North Shore businesswomen to be honored at 22CM luncheon
Erica Gelman, Editorial Intern
The North Shore Women
in Business Awards is
accepting nominations
through July 31 for outstanding
women who have
undergone significant accomplishments
in their careers
and who also live or
work in the North Shore.
Awards will be presented
on Sept. 13, at 22nd
Century Media’s inaugural
North Shore Women
in Business awards luncheon,
which will honor
13 North Shore women
in 13 categories: Large
Company (51 employees
or more), Medium Company
(11-50 employees),
Small Company (10 employees
or less), Nonprofit,
Entrepreneur, Woman-
Owned Business, Health
and Wellness, Real Estate,
Financial, Legal, Hospitality
and Dining, Education,
and Senior Care.
The event will take place
at Pinstripes in Northbrook.
The awards luncheon
seeks to aim a spotlight
on women who are leaders,
said Heather Warthen,
chief events officer
for 22nd Century Media,
which publishes newspapers
serving the North
Shore and Southwest suburbs
of Chicago, including
The Northbrook Tower.
Award winners will be
recognized both at the
event and also in 22nd
Century Media publications.
“This event is just a
great opportunity to ...
highlight some of those
working women who may
not always be highlighted
or recognized,” Warthen
said. “[Looking at] some
of the nominations that
we’ve seen come through
so far, there are a lot of
great stories, there are a
lot of great women out in
the North Shore area, and
for us, it’s a great opportunity
... to recognize those
women [in our community
newspapers].”
The function of this luncheon
is not only to present
awards; the event is
also a networking session.
“Making ... connections,
for people, is a wonderful
thing,” Warthen said.
The event will feature
culture transformation
expert Jeanne Malnati as
a speaker. Malnati is the
CEO and founder of The
Culture Group, a company
which teaches communication
and leadership
principles. She is also a
licensed psychotherapist
and expert in workplace
wellness.
While 22nd Century
Media hosts similar
awards events throughout
the year, including
ones which target seniors
or recognize businesses
as a whole, this event
arose because the company
felt accentuating women’s
accomplishments is
also important.
“This is a great networking
opportunity to
meet some of the movers
and shakers of the north
shore,” Warthen said. “[It
is a] positive event for
women to attend, and we
are really looking forward
to it.”
To nominate someone
for The North Shore Women
in Business Awards,
visit 22ndcenturymedia.
com/nominate. Early-bird
tickets and information
about the event can be
found at 22ndCenturyMedia.com/women.