PINE BLUFF, Ark. — The Arts & Science Center’s (ASC) hit cooking series CrEATe Lab is back, not only teaching students how to prepare nutritious meals but also the importance of choosing something nutritious. Open to ages 10-17, the program aims to teach several life skills through cooking, including confidence, dealing with the unfamiliar, and trying new things.
Top photo: CrEATe Lab instructor and Kids Cook! cooking school owner Faith Anaya (second from left) helps students prepare oatmeal bars during the fall 2022 series of CrEATe Lab. The nutritious cooking program for ages 10-17 returns on Feb. 4, 2023, at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC).
Registration is now open for the winter 2023 series of CrEATe Lab. The series consists of seven sessions from 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25, and March 4, 11, and 18. The cost is $35 for all seven sessions, and half scholarships are available. Capacity is limited to 10 students.
Faith Anaya and the staff of her Little Rock-based cooking school Kids Cook! provide their food expertise.
The theme of the recipes for this series is “Cooking What we Grow and Growing What we Cook.” The class will cover various skills, including cooking safety, the science of food, reading nutrition labels, food careers, trying new foods and gardening. Each CrEATe Lab series also includes a community service component. For this series, ASC will partner with Ambassadors for Christ (AFC) to distribute food to those in need throughout our community.
The planned topics for this series include:
- Where Does Food Come From?
- Gardening – Growing What You Cook
- Community Service – Kids Cookin’ for a Cause
- Farmers Market
- Gardening – Cooking What You Grow
- The Science of Food: Nutrition Talk
- A culminating event for students and their families
At the end of each class, students will take containers of food they helped prepare to enjoy at home.
Registration and a scholarship application are available at asc701.org/create-lab. Registration may also be completed by calling ASC at 870-536-3375 or in person at ASC’s home facility, 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff. Parents or guardians must complete a CrEATe Lab application and a COVID-19 waiver before the series begins.
For more information about CrEATe Lab, contact ASC Education Programs Manager Shakeelah Rahmaan at srahmaan@asc701.org.
About ASC
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC), 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff, is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. ASC presents programming in the visual arts, performing arts, and sciences through exhibits, performances, classes, and local partnerships. Gallery admission is free. ASC is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday. In 2021, ASC opened two new facilities as part of its ARTx3 campus — The ARTSpace on Main and ART WORKS on Main, located at 623 and 627 S. Main St. For more information, visit asc701.org or call 870-536-3375.
Support for ASC is provided in part by the ASC Endowment Fund, the City of Pine Bluff, the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Windgate Foundation, Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, Kline Family Foundation, Relyance Bank and Simmons Bank provide additional operating support.