It also highlighted the reduced environmental impact of local eating and gave participants a new, tasty recipe to sweeten the message, said Chef Cherie Twohy, owner of Chez Cherie and author of the “I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook.”
Twohy, who went to culinary school at age 40, today regularly holds cooking classes out of her fully stocked kitchen business.
Girl Scout troop leader moms thought her expertise would help the girls pursue badges related to creative cooking and entrepreneurship.
“This is not only exploring the badge portion of it, but really living the Girl Scout law,” explained Burbank mom Geni Telkamp during the walk to the farmers market on Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada.
“It’s hands-on and interesting. The best part is, a successful woman in business is leading them through this.”
At the market, Twohy advised the troops to always circle once without buying, to identify the best goods and the lowest prices.
She encouraged them to taste samples, consider what’s in season and ask vendors where products were cultivated.
The girls stopped to sample honey sticks from Klaus’ Bees, which harvests from hives in La Cañada.
Raspberry plants and wildflowers help bees produce honey that is sweet and mellow, explained apiarist Erika Wain Decker, who runs the business with husband Klaus Koepfli.
A jar of honey was added to the girls’ basket to be included in the fruit crumble recipe.
“Honey gives you such good energy,” Twohy told the group as they headed back to the kitchen.
During the demonstration, students learned about baking techniques that would keep ingredients fresher and better tasting, and all eagerly dipped market strawberries first into crème fraiche and brown sugar to tide them over while the crumbles baked.
When it was done, La Crescenta resident Rachel Yeh, 11, said she enjoyed going to the farmers market and hopes to use more local produce when she cooks with her mom, who also attended the event.
Hayley Wright, an 11-year-old in Troop 19 and self-described cooking enthusiast, said she also learned about turning a passion into a successful business.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what size you are, you can make whatever you want,” Wright said after nibbling a sugared pear from her crumble.
“No matter how it comes through, you can make something really good.”
