PLEASANT GAP — As intern Sarah Pelchar added flour into dough to make gnocchi at Fasta & Ravioli Co. the other day, a puff of flour escaped from the mixer.
Fasta pasta maker Jeremiah McClenahan assured her that it’s all in a day’s work.
“My shoes are usually white when I leave here,” he said.
Pelchar is one of a small group from Taproot Kitchen taking part in a weeklong internship at Fasta in preparation for a community dinner Saturday, Feb. 18.
While the interns started learning with gnocchi, the plan by week’s end was to make pierogies filled with onions and cheese for the Eastern European-themed dinner, which will also feature Hungarian goulash.
Taproot Kitchen is a community hub for young adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. They typically meet once a week to cook together.
The ultimate goal, according to Taproot Kitchen co-founder Sharon Schafer, is to help the young adults produce a product, perhaps something that could be sold at local farmers markets or placed on a menu.
“We’re hoping to put together a product and be part of the community and part of the economy,” Schafer said. The organization is in its second year.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
“We’re on the right track,” she said, noting significant support from the community.
For example, while Fasta is helping train interns to make pierogies, Taproot members received similar professional training in the kitchen of Gemelli Bakers in State College prior to a community dinner in June.
Taproot aims to help “fill the gap” after these young adults complete school, Schafer said, providing training and experience with a goal of employment or even unpaid opportunities to do meaningful work.
Many of the ingredients for the Hungarian goulash have been harvested from Taproot Kitchen’s own garden or gleaned from area farms with the help of The FoodCentres Project, which connects excess fresh food that would otherwise go to waste with those who need it.
Peppers and tomatoes will be good for the goulash, Schafer said. A donated bag of black currents will be used to make Polish kolachki cookies.
At Fasta, Pelchar noted that she already has some pierogi skills, as her family has sold them at concession stands.
As interns Pelchar, Kara Rohan and David Sharpe worked with McClenahan to mix gnocchi dough, roll it and cut it into small pieces, Sharpe took a moment to focus on the bigger picture.
“My dream is to inspire people to be greater than they are and live their dreams to the fullest,” he said. “Cooking is a way to live my dreams. I’m learning new skills.”
The community dinner will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Meetinghouse on Atherton, 318 S. Atherton St. in State College, where Taproot Kitchen members meet once a week to cook together.
The suggested donation of $10 per person will help fund continued programming and education for Taproot members.
For more information, visit www.taprootkitchen.org.
