Repost from Lake Shore Native American Program FB & Highland Elementary
On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, Highland Principal Colleen Politowski volunteers as the facilitator of the school’s Chef’s Academy. “Generally, I try to find budget-friendly meals that the kids can do and we make them together, and they bring home some for their families,” she says. “This year I wanted to find a way to bring the Native American culture that is all around us into the kitchen, and Chef Lorinda joined us.”
Indigenous Chef/Culinarian Lorinda John was happy to teach students how to make bison burritos. Her presence was also an inspirational tale of motivation and resolve.
Chef Lorinda had inherited a love and talent for cooking from her family. Faced with the challenges of the pandemic and the need to provide for her daughters, she enrolled at Erie Community College North and earned her degree in culinary arts. Meanwhile, she gained experience working on meal prep for clients from the Buffalo Bills and Bandits teams, and others in the community.
Then she enrolled at Buffalo State University for a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism. “Here is when everything started to align,” she says, when she was added to World Central Kitchen’s Disaster Relief Culinary Team. “This is a non-profit organization that utilizes the skills of individuals to assist in disaster areas,” she explains. Then, this November, she was honored as the Hometown Chef at Highmark Stadium for Native American Heritage Month.
She credits her parents’ guidance and babysitting for making her the successful person she is today.
Their support, and her own perseverance, helped bring her to that Chef’s Academy at Highland, where she could share her culture and skills through food, and share the goodness of food, both in nutrients and taste.
“We hope to work with her again,” says Mrs. Politowski. “The connections the students are making help to build our community on so many levels.”
Repost from Highland Elementary School: We may have been snowed out on day 1, but day 2 of our Tuesday Chef Academy did not disappoint! We were honored to welcome Indigenous Culinarian, Lorinda John, to our Chef Academy! She taught the students how to make bison burgers and shared stories of what she does as a chef and where she has traveled. It was an amazing experience for our little chefs!
