The PPS Teaching Kitchens, with stations to accommodate five teams of three students, and space for community dining, are an undiscovered jewel of the district and the town. Just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, the PPS Teaching Kitchens are the heart of the district.
The Teaching Kitchens currently are home to a full-time science class.
For afterhours, we advocate keeping the lights as welcoming beacon for cooking and gathering, coordinated by the district, for community members – whether it’s parents looking to learn how to replicate plants-rich dishes served to their children at school meals, or groups looking to make and share foods with the community. The district has made some progress toward this goal; a few years ago, it hosted a Princeton University course, Science, Society, & Dinner, in the Teaching Kitchens.
The space is accessible from the north doorway of Princeton Middle School (though all must check in at the main office of Princeton Middle School).
A wall of windows looks out on an almost-enclosed, paved courtyard, currently used only as a walkway to the district’s swimming pool.
We suggest moving the door to the pool to the parking lot side of the building, installing doors at the courtyard entryway, then replacing a few of the windows in the Teaching Kitchens with doors that open to the courtyard. Adding a transparent/translucent roof would more than double the classroom space for the Teaching Kitchens and allow for three-season seating, planters for edible herbs and some produce, and pizza oven/grill space.
In recent years, dishwashers, sinks and faucets were donated by Mrs. G’s Appliances. The washer and dryer are in working order, making cleanup easily completed. Stoves are newish.
Moveable Feasts
Grant funding in 2010 allowed purchase of Moveable Feasts Kitchen Carts for each of the elementary schools. These carts are now being updated, beginning with grant funding earned by Louise Senior, Edible Gardens Educator/Steward, at Riverside Elementary School. When fully updated, these Moveable Feast Kitchen Carts will live at each school’s library and can be checked out by faculty and by Edible Gardens Educators for use in the classroom. Carts are customizable, school by school, but generally contain a portable induction burner, induction-friendly cookware, a blender, and an instant pot. The moveable cart in the Teaching Kitchens at the middle school features an overhead mirror that can be tilted for optimal viewing of food preparation.