春FUN Program Spotlight: Cooking

By Global Learning Coordinator Julie Farrell

Even after a year with no parties, it seems we still remember the classic dinner party rule: guests always gather in the kitchen. By mid-morning, a small crowd of off-duty faculty members gathered to spectate as 7th Grade Purple mastered 大盘鸡 (dà pán jī) with cooking instructors Sheri Tang and Michelle Zhang.

Michelle and Sheri are each so multitalented, it’s difficult to know where to begin in introducing them! Both are trained attorneys and businesswomen. Michelle is a co-founder of The Society of Heart’s Delight (愉园社) in San Jose, an event space and networking organization uniting Chinese professionals across the Bay Area. Sheri is a corporate lawyer, food educator, and proud mom. Both are passionate about cooking and sharing their skills throughout the community. Michelle and Sheri took on the challenge of managing an outdoor, COVID-safe Chinese kitchen with such grace and enthusiasm, we’re already devising ways to lure them back in the future!

This week, classes have already tackled everything from 炸响铃 (zhá xiǎng líng), a specialty of Sheri’s hometown of Hangzhou, to 蚂蚁上树 (mǎ yǐ shàng shù), an ode to Michelle’s roots in Sichuan. If you’re lucky, you may be able to coax your student to carry home a few highly-coveted leftovers!