Maple Ridge chefs show what’s cooking in school’s culinary program with new book

Two chefs in Maple Ridge have found the recipe for teaching local students how to cook.

Actually, they’ve found several dozen recipes.

And all of them have been assembled in a new cookbook to showcase the Thomas Haney Secondary School’s culinary program – known as the Thunder Kitchen.

The book is by culinary arts instructors Brian Smith and Karen Carruthers, who have worked together for the past eight years sharing their love of cooking with local teens, including many who want to work in the food industry in the future.

“Our students are the heart of this cookbook,” said Carruthers. “It’s inspired by their work, their creativity, and the energy they bring to the Thunder Kitchen every day.”

The Thunder Kitchen Cookbook is a collection of recipes from the teaching kitchen, along with a breakdown of the program’s four key kitchen stations: hot side, cold side, bakery and sanitation. It offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at the culinary structure that supports students from Grades 9 to 12 develop real-world kitchen skills.

“We hope this offers a glimpse into the incredible work our culinary students do every day, and how our shared teaching philosophy extends far beyond simply preparing and serving great food,” said Smith. “We had both dreamed of creating a cookbook for a long time.”

The school’s photography teacher, Randy Dickin, provided an assist with some delicious photos of the completed dishes.

“More than anything, we want to inspire others to cook wholesome food with joy, to approach each day with a positive attitude, and to see cooking as a meaningful life skill,” Carruthers said.

The cookbook features recipes that are simple, nutritious, and easy to replicate at home, she added.

“We selected our most popular and well-loved dishes and recipes that are frequently requested in the cafeteria and those that hold special, joyful memories for our students and staff,” Carruthers said. “Every recipe tells a story of connection, learning, and shared experience.”

Students played an important role in creating the cookbook, Smith added, from formatting the recipes and participating in the editing process, to writing some of the blurbs, and sharing their perspectives on a typical day in the teaching kitchen.

“The cookbook is a way to honour the artful dishes they’ve created over the past decade and to encourage more students to explore the culinary program,” Carruthers said.

The Thunder Kitchen Cookbook is available for purchase for $30 through the Thomas Haney teaching kitchen, with all proceeds going back into the culinary arts program to help cover the costs of maintaining a fully functioning, professional-grade kitchen.