In November, the BEF heard from Teacher Grant recipient Chima Ikonne, a special education teacher at the Hayes School and the beloved instructor of a popular after-school baking class. This summer, Chima spent ten days in Paris studying authentic French baking techniques, strengthening his French language skills and deepening his appreciation for France’s culinary traditions and history.
His goal was to bring baking into more of his teaching—using it not only in his cooking class, but also to make lessons in his special education classroom more engaging, hands-on and connected to the real world.
While in Paris, Chima took three intensive baking courses, where he was the only non-native French speaker. He mastered croissants, pain au chocolat, lemon loaf and macarons, among other pastries. He returned with a wealth of new skills and insights, from the use of high-quality European ingredients (butter!) to the importance of precise measurement.
Chima has already begun sharing these lessons and recipes with his students, using baking to spark curiosity, build confidence and make concepts like measurement come alive.
Thank you, Chima, for sharing your experience with the BEF, and of course for the delicious treats!
