Every week, savory smells make their way through the halls of our Iowa City day program and it is absolutely mouthwatering! This is thanks to a cooking class that is hosted by Systems Unlimited Staff Supervisor, Mohamad El Hallak.
Cooking classes in our Iowa City day program began in 2020 when the Systems Unlimited main building and programming was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This proved to be a very tough time for people within our services. Many people served went from having busy schedules filled with activity to completely isolating at home for safety.
In an attempt to give a sense of normalcy during isolation for those we serve, a virtual day program was created. People served signed in to zoom for scheduled times to socialize with friends and to participate in classes or activities. When brainstorming what activities would work well virtually, Mohamad proposed the idea of teaching a class that promotes fun and healthy cooking. The virtual classes proved to be so successful that when in person day program resumed, the cooking classes continued in person.
Part of the success of the class is due to Mohamad’s extensive culinary experience. Mohamad studied three years at a culinary school in Lebanon and after graduating, obtained a job in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel in Abu Dhabi. After over 6 years of employment at the hotel, Mohamad became the head chef. Once in Iowa, Mohamad spent some time working in the kitchens of Big Grove Brewery and Baroncina. Mohamad eventually made the decision to hang his chef hat and explore a new field of employment through Systems Unlimited.
When asked about the main goal of the cooking club, Mohamad stated that he often sees people served eating frozen meals and processed foods due to reporting that they do not like cooking/healthy foods or do not know how to cook. In this class, the overall goal is to help people in our services explore different foods in fun ways while simultaneously teaching the skills to independently cook meals.
The Cooking Club has agreed to share one recipe each month with the Systems Unlimited community, because why keep the delicious food all to themselves? To start us off, the Cooking Club wants to share their Fish Taco Recipe
