A culinary education

Deirdre Newman

The holidays can be a trying time, with all the potlucks and holiday

parties demanding creative culinary contributions.

For those tired of bringing a bottle of wine and the token spinach

dip, the parents of Harbor View Elementary School may have the perfect

recipe for breaking out of the traditional mold.

Although it made its debut over the summer, the parents responsible

for the Harbor View Family Cookbook are touting it as a must-have for the

holiday season. Proceeds will fund a myriad of needs at the school like

teachers’ supplies, playground equipment, computers and school

beautification.

For a school that prides itself on its family-like sense of community,

the cookbook serves to strengthen those bonds as families share their

favorite recipes with each other.

The idea for the cookbook started at the beginning of the previous

school year when Parent-Faculty Organization President Janet DiChiro

suggested it as a unique fund-raisingeffort.

“It’s always a challenge to find things to do to raise money,” DiChiro

said.

After soliciting recipes, DiChiro and fellow cookbook organizer Annie

Vangrow said they panicked when only 10 arrived by the deadline.

“We just kept talking it up and all of a sudden they all started

flooding in,” Vangrow said.

There are 397 recipes in all covering the whole culinary spectrum,

including Bayleigh’s Favorite Chili Dip -- in honor of student Bayleigh

Radovich-Valdez, Taco Soup -- contributed by teacher Sabrina Ericastilla,

Fabulous Salad -- a favorite of Angela Henderson, Linda Vitalo and

DeChiro, Mulligatawny with Tandoori-Style Chicken and Mint Raita --

contributed by Patricia Place, and Kahlua Brownies, courtesy of Trish

Fisher.

At $10 a pop, the cookbooks have already earned a few thousand dollars

in profit and the parents hope to raise even more throughout the next few

years.

Vangrow said the cookbook comes in especially handy for parties where

everyone pitches in.

“The times have changed. It’s too hard for one person to do all this,”

Vangrow said. “It’s easier to get together as friends and have everyone

participate. That way it’s not too overwhelming.”

And the passion for cooking seems to have rubbed off on the kids as

well.

“My kids love to cook, but they always make a mess,” DeChiro said.

That’s one thing the cookbook doesn’t cover.

o7 The cookbooks are available at the Harbor View Elementary School

Holiday Boutique in Corona del Mar on Friday and at Pink Lemonade in

Corona del Mar.

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