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Cooking up fun: Common Ground Teen Center hosts annual summer camps

2 min read
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Courtesy of Mary Jo Podgurski

Young people at Common Ground Teen Center cooked up homemade meatballs, fresh salad with homemade dressing and made-from-scratch wedding soup Monday, the first day of Summer Cooking Camp. Cooking camp runs through June 30.

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Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Adelle Hollowood, 13, of Washington, taste-tests the homemade tiramisu she and other Common Ground Teen Center young people made Monday as part of Summer Cooking Camp, which runs through June 30. “I love making food and then I love getting to enjoy it with friends and family and people I know,” Hollowood said.

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Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Common Ground Teen Center director Mary Jo Podgurski teaches Shelly Reese, 15, of Washington, how to tell if homemade bread is ready to eat: knock on the bottom and if it sounds hollow, it’s done. The Teen Center is hosting Summer Cooking Camp through the end of this week.

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Shelly Reese, 15, of Washington, takes Mama Cirelli's homemade bread out of the oven Monday afternoon during the first day of Summer Cooking Camp at the Common Ground Teen Center. Reese and other young people made a full Italian meal, led by center director and Italian-American Mary Jo Podgurski.

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Courtesy of Mary Jo Podgurski

Kelsey Hawkins, 13, of Washington, stirs homemade wedding soup during Summer Cooking Camp at the Common Ground Teen Center Monday afternoon. “It made you feel really proud of yourself,” said Hawkins.

Teens cooked up some fun at Common Ground Teen Center in downtown Washington Monday, the first day of the center’s annual summer camp series.

Summer Cooking Camp began with Italian Heritage Day, led by director Mary Jo Podgurski, who got messy alongside young people making her mother’s tried-and true Mama Cirelli’s homemade bread and homemade meatballs. Campers also learned to make wedding soup, salad with made-from-scratch dressing and tiramisu.

“I’m Italian, so food is connection in my culture. Food is a love thing,” said Podgurski, while Italian music played softly in the background at the Teen Center. “It’s a skill you need all your life. More than that, it’s social. One of the goals here is socialization. Everybody helped.”

Young people took turns adding ingredients, kneading dough, stirring, sampling and yes, even washing dishes during Summer Cooking Camp, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor around a table together.

“It didn’t feel like work. It just felt like a really good time,” said Victoria Allen, 16, of Washington, taking a bite of homemade tiramisu.

The good time, young people agreed, was every aspect of the process.

“The best part: eating,” smiled Aujalae Lyle, 16, of Washington.

“I had a really fun time talking to people,” added Lily Gough, 13, of Canonsburg. “It felt really good to eat our hard work.”

Each year, Common Ground hosts a series of summer camps, and this year’s lineup offers a little something for everyone. Cooking Camp is daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the end of this week, and attendees will enjoy a tasting tour of cultures, crafting delicious French, American, African American and Japanese recipes at the Teen Center.

From July 10 to 14, young people are invited to explore the natural world at Nature Camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon, or engage in friendly competition during Games Camp, which takes place from 1 to 4 p.m.

Arts Camp and Theater Camp take center stage the week of July 24. Arts Camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Theater Camp begins at 1 p.m. and wraps at 4 p.m.

Teenagers ages 12 through 18 are invited to attend all summer camps, which are free, thanks in part to grant funding from Range Resources and Southwest Training.

For more information on Common Ground Teen Center’s summer camps, email Podgurski at podmj@healthyteens.com.

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