Ridgewood June 24, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 11 Mongiardo offers food for thought and health by John Kosrer Ridgewood High School’s Tina Mongiardo offers an education that’s credible – because it’s edible. Mongiardo offers two three-credit classes, food and nutrition, and foods of the world, with each a half-year course taught back to back. The students explore the food types, starting with breakfast and protein-rich foods, and move through such topics as chemical leavening and natural leavening, how to read and write recipes, and the importance of vegetables and fruit in great cuisine and good nutrition. Precautionary lessons include sanitary food handling and proper knife techniques. Food and nutrition, taught during the first half of the school year, is a prerequisite for foods of the world, which explores the cuisines and culture of lands around the world. The class is so popular that it is near overflow even though it is taught seven times a day, Mongiardo said. Her qualifications include degrees in food and nutrition from SUNY. She said she loves to teach and to learn. “I wish more of the mothers would Ridgewood High School students create culinary delights. come in and share their family recipes,” she said. “A lot of them are surprised that we have cooking classes at Ridgewood High. Some of the Korean kids made sushi for the Festival of the Arts and they were fantastic.” ����������� Hair Care ����������������� ����������� ������������� ��������������� ������������� ������������� ������������� �������������������������������� �������������� ������������������������������ ���������������������� ������������������������� ����������� ���������������������� ����������