Sonoma Valley High School senior Yazel Cazares presented a Mexican cooking program recently to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience who came away with the knowledge to prepare authentic Mexican meals.
Cazares is one of the founders of the successful Lovin’Oven baking program whose bakers sell food at the Tuesday Night Farmer’s Market among other places. Her dream is to own her own baking business and her interests and goals are nurtured at the Valley of the Moon Teen Center, where a kitchen is available for her and other teen bakers to create recipes, prepare food and sell products.
As her senior project Cazares demonstrated the basics of Mexican food preparation. With the help of her advisors Rebecca Hermosillo, Suzanne Young and Jean Hopeman she planned the event down to the smallest detail starting with a tour of “La Favorita” market where guests learned how to choose the best meats, cheeses, vegetables and spices used in the recipes. Using the Teen Center kitchen, she then showed her guests how to prepare tamales from start to finish as well as how to make empanadas de camote (yams), Mexican rice and beans, three types of salsa and flan as well as how to successfully peel a mango. Cazares sent guests away with recipes for all the dishes prepared. The $300 profit she made from the event was donated to the Teen Center baking program.
Cazares plans to attend Dominican College in San Fafael this fall. Until then, she plans to hold cooking classes this summer. Those interested in a class should call Hermosillo at 939.1452 or Cristin Lawrence at 812.3960.
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