Field Trip Fuels Kids’ Appetites : Chefs at Dana Point Resort open their kitchen to students who cook, then eat holiday lunch.

The classroom was a bit unconventional, but the subject matter was dear to the hearts--and stomachs--of Tricia Ball’s sixth-grade class. After all, it was lunchtime and the kids were hungry.

But first, they had to prepare the food. And that meant learning their way around the cavernous kitchen at the Dana Point Resort where Ball’s pupils had gathered to cook a holiday lunch for 30.

Under the watchful eye of Ball and chef Peter Striffolino, pupils from Newhart School in Mission Viejo learned how to make a nutritious vegetable soup, fresh pasta with tomato sauce and chocolate mousse.

For the kids, the best part came when class was over and they got to eat their assignment.

“I’m hungry,” said Terry Ward, 11, whose job was to chop vegetables for the soup.

Ward and buddies Matt Rice, 12, Sean Wilson, 12, and Scott McLellan, 11, wielded their chef’s knives with aplomb, managing not to nick themselves or each other as Striffolino calmly supervised the chopping.

“When you hold the knife, hold it against your knuckles like this,” said Striffolino, demonstrating the proper way to chop.

“So far we’ve had only one small accident,” said Dee Dee Ricardo, one of the hotel managers charged for three days with shepherding nearly 80 pupils through the resort as part of a hands-on exercise for Newhart’s sixth-grade exploratory program. “The other day one boy pricked his finger with a knife.”

But that was the only casualty, thanks in large part to the expert guidance of Striffolino. “I have two kids at home,” he said, “so it’s easy for me. Besides it’s a lot of fun, a chance to show them something different.”

Striffolino began by explaining his duties as a chef and giving the children an overview of the complexities of running a hotel kitchen. As he talked, the pupils studied the extensive menu posted on Striffolino’s bulletin board.

“I order food, kind of like when your mother makes a list and goes grocery shopping,” he explained, “only I do it every day.”

Although the kids were mildly interested in Striffolino’s menus, they were more interested in his hat.

“Why do you wear that?” one boy wanted to know, before donning a hat of his own.

“It’s just a professional thing to do,” Striffolino said, “part of a uniform, like a fireman or a policeman.”

Even though most of the children had had some cooking experience at home or in class, working in the hotel kitchen alongside professionals was a novel experience that left the youngsters quiet.

Jessica Blakeley, 11, listened intently as banquet chef Carlos Meneses explained how to prepare the chocolate mousse. “At home I cook mostly spaghetti and hamburgers,” Jessica said.

But after trying her hand at the mousse, Jessica agreed that she might add it to her repertoire of recipes.

Although the class was centered on cooking, the pupils learned more than just how to prepare food, according to Tricia Ball. “They learned social skills, manners and respect for other people’s property,” said Ball, who said the behind-the-scenes view of the resort was a learning experience for her too.

Children visited the hotel over the three-day period in groups of 25 to 30, accompanied by several parents who helped provide transportation.

Sharie Massey, who was there with her daughter, Tarah, 11, said she was impressed with the effort the resort made to accommodate the children. The all-day outing included a tour of the 18-acre facility that concluded in the kitchen, where many of the pupils, including Tarah, donned chef’s hats and set eagerly to work.

Lynda Brewer, whose 11-year-old son Cameron got to operate the pasta-making machine, said she wouldn’t be surprised if her son decided to become a chef. “His dad’s a great cook, and Cameron does cook at home,” she said.

As a part of the special exploratory program at Newhart School, the children will assemble their own cookbook, featuring recipes they have prepared in the nine-week cooking class, according to Linda Serafino, who runs the cooking sessions.

In addition to studying cooking, sixth-grade pupils also study sewing and computer technology. “We spend nine weeks on each subject,” Serafino said. “It’s all a part of our ‘exploratory,’ which is like an elective in junior high.”

Children get to choose their own recipes for class, and some of the dishes they have prepared include Canadian bacon and scrambled eggs, taco salad and pizza, Serafino said.

“It’s kind of a hodgepodge, but it goes together beautifully, and the kids are so proud of themselves. It’s designed to be a hands-on, fun exposure. They learn what is entailed in preparing something, what cooperation is and what it means for someone to be in charge,” she said.

“They also learn about etiquette and that you can prepare a gourmet meal, but if you don’t know how to present it, you lose what you set out to do. The trip to the resort gave them a real touch of elegance.”

Serafino says the children are still “in awe” of the experience.

“They have told me that it was the best field trip they have ever gone on,” she said.

“It really made an impression on them. We wanted them to see themselves in relationship to the real world, and through field trips like this, that’s the only way you can do it. This year we’re trying to get the education community and the business community to work together and create good feelings for what each other does. Trips like this make a big impression on kids.

“I may have hotel managers coming out of this group. Who knows?”