Another Ridgewood Education Memory

      In the 8th grade I was offered a choice between Metal Shop and Cooking For Boys. It was a no-brainer for me as I hadn't any great success in either of the usual young man tracks, namely, Wood Shop and Mechanical Arts so I chose cooking. It was the first time that George Washington Junior High (GW) had offered cooking for boys and in hindsight it was a natural offering as the majority of Chefs are men. It was a decision that has ultimately proven to be one of the best I ever made! The recipes we learned were basic baking skills like bread, muffins, popovers, pizza dough, and pie crust. To my continual amazement I still use the techniques I learned and have through the years grown to be a very competent chef, with baking still being my favorite cooking skill. I also find it amazing that my first cooking teacher, Mrs. McCabe, still works at GW and my nephew who lives in Ridgewood had her as a teacher.