Oceanside kids discover Spanish cooking

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A group of 14-year-old Oceanside Library patrons gathered on Sept. 28 around a kitchen island in the center of Cooked to Perfection, an East Rockaway establishment that offers group cooking classes. The event was part of the libary’s Beyond our Borders program, where every few months it organizes a series educational programs around a foreign country. This time, the girls were learning how to make Spanish empanadas.

“Okay girls, who wants to pull apart a chicken?” John Corella, the establishment’s owner asked. The girls yelled with excitement at the prospect. Only three of them had the opportunity, but the rest were occupied with other things, like whipping aioli, or making clouds of flour by clapping their powdered hands together.

In the middle of instructing them on proper empanada construction, one girl retrieved her phone from the table near the entry. Corella gave a long disapproving look as she and her friend tried to take a selfie. “Girls,” he scolded, “now you gotta go wash your hands again. You know how dirty those things are?”

When it came to teaching stovetop safety, Corella made sure to demonstrate an exaggerated hair flip, drawing giggles from the kids, as an example of what not to do if one wants to avoid setting fire to their hair.