Club member Dominic had never touched fresh pasta dough before, but he was eager to learn how to transform a blob of dough into a beautiful pasta dish.

With professionals by his side, Dominic learned how to take a simple dough (eggs, flour, water) and create all different shapes of pasta, including ravioli, cavatelli, and tortellini. He had this opportunity because of a recent teen night, which provides a safe space for teens on the weekends for fun, engaging programs.

This time, it came from real chefs and professionals from RPM Italian, part of the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group. In addition to the pasta shaping class, they hosted a graphic design logo station and an interactive lesson in dessert plating.

Many teens said it was the first time they had worked with some of the food ingredients and that it was fun to do something different.

Dominic, the Club member who loved learning how to shape pasta, said that he was going to take what he learned to continue making pasta at home. And thanks to materials from RPM Italian, teens took home freshly made pasta, sauce and booklet with recipes to make on their own.

Another fun activity for the teens was a logo design station, which allowed members to develop their own restaurant concepts and create logos using graphic design software. The kids who participated were able to leave with their own logo design and inspiration for a future business.

“It was a great experience for our kids, most of whom have never met a professional chef before,” Angel Rivera, BGCC’s Vice President of Youth Development, said. “We are always striving to give our members opportunities to learn new skills that they might not have been exposed to otherwise. We are grateful to partners like Lettuce Entertain You and RPM, who volunteer their time and get our kids excited about the restaurant world.”

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