At this South Jersey farm, a classroom rooted in the garden helps students grow skills for life

On a weekday morning at Reed’s Farm in Atlantic County, New Jersey, students do not gather at desks. Instead, they tend rows of raised garden beds, harvest crops, wash produce and then step into a kitchen stocked with tools designed to help them cook.

They are participating in a program that works with students across a wide range of abilities and needs, according to the farm’s programming director, Melanie Reed. Some come from the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, and others come from public schools across the region.

Staff use adaptive kitchen gear — plastic chef knives, a spring-loaded manual food chopper, specialized cutting boards — to make cooking accessible. Classes are small, usually capped at about six students, allowing instructors to give more individual attention.

Cooking is a distinct art form that blends planning, multitasking, memory and goal-directed behavior — all aspects of executive function that are key to complex cognition, according to researchers. Studies also found that the act of cooking feeds taste, smell, texture and visual presentation back into brain circuits for sensory integration, memory and reward, enabling efficient cognition.

For students, parents and staff participating in the program, the results are profound.

Lynn Romano’s son, Liam Alex, a student at Atlantic County Special Services School, has participated in the culinary program at Reed’s and at school for two years.

“There’s so much positive that came out of this experience,” she said.

Romano said the impact on Alex’s communication skills and confidence was life-changing and that she saw the changes in him play out in a sense of purpose, pride and the ability to relate to others.

“They get a lot of autonomy out there, and it’s almost therapeutic,” said Erin Lichtenwalner, director of instructions, programs and services at the Atlantic County Special Services School District.

Lichtenwainer said the program has become a steady source of confidence for students, especially those navigating social and emotional challenges. She said support is built in, not something students have to fight for.

“They walk in and know people are willing to make adjustments for them. That alone builds confidence. We have seen a tremendous amount of progress from the students who come through this program,” Lichtenwainer said.

The instruction is more than a cooking practice. It is a deliberate effort to build skills many students have never had the opportunity to use.

“We try our best to make a dish that we think will appeal to our students, while also encouraging them to try those fruits and vegetables that may be new to them, or maybe something that they typically wouldn’t eat,” Reed said. Arugula pizza and cheesy kale bites are menu items they have worked on recently.

Research supports this kind of hands-on approach. According to the Nutrition Evidence Database, a review in 2019 found that cooking classes often deliver positive effects on psychosocial outcomes such as self-esteem, socialization, mood and quality of life.

The Center for Nutrition Psychology found that participants in a seven-week cooking program reported improvements in cooking confidence and general mental health.

An arugula pizza and a turning point

One of the most vivid examples of impact came during an arugula harvest. Staff decided to work  with Alex to make a pizza topped with a simple arugula salad.

“I really enjoyed making and eating the arugula pizza and trying the bread with tzatziki! I have already started helping to cook at home. These classes helped me to try new foods,” he said in his review of the course.

Instructors and parents have found that repeated exposure to cooking and unfamiliar produce, paired with supportive, accessible instruction, becomes a key part of building self-confidence, widening food choices and strengthening a sense of independence.

Romano said she saw her son move beyond years of rigid eating tied to Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID, a condition common among children with autism who rely on “safe” foods with predictable textures and tastes. For years, Alex ate little more than macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries. Once he began working hands-on with food, something shifted, she said. He started trying meatballs, pepperoni, and even pork loin — a transformation she called practical and deeply personal.

“I used to feel like a scientist in the kitchen, trying anything to keep him healthy when he would only eat three things,” she said. “Now he has a real diet, real protein, and it has opened him up as a person.” She said the changes extend beyond the table, noting stronger communication skills, more confidence and a growing ability to read emotions and connect with others at school.

Beyond the kitchen toward independence and inclusion

According to the National Library of Medicine, cooking-based programs improve cooking knowledge, self-efficacy, confidence, self-esteem and, in some cases, better home food availability.

The impact of culinary engagement extends beyond food. For many participants, learning to cook is a step toward self-determination and independence. Some programs have also demonstrated improvements in mood, mental health and general well-being.

In New Jersey and across the country, many adults with developmental disabilities face barriers to employment and community participation. For more than 600 students, Reed’s Farm has provided real-world work experience, transferable job skills and a supportive environment that values their abilities.

Reed put it simply: “Being able to connect with students and encourage them to try new foods and practice culinary skills — that can open doors for them in their future. But it is also just so powerful to change their everyday life.”

A kitchen classroom for life skills

For students who rarely have access to kitchen tools or real cooking opportunities, the class delivers more than produce.

More than 200 kids from the Boys and Girls Club have participated in Reed’s culinary classes. The collaboration brings teens into the garden for hands-on maintenance, then out to the farm for tours and seasonal activities like making pickles. They also participate in a “Healthy Habits” session that blends nutrition lessons with kitchen skills. These programs give kids a chance to grow crops in Atlantic City, turn them into fresh meals and see how agriculture and the culinary arts can become meaningful career paths.

The kitchen classroom is a place where students learn to trust themselves and see what they are capable of one meal at a time.

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Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeffrey Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.

WHYY News is partnering with independent journalists across New Jersey to spotlight the people, communities, cultures and distinctive places that shape the Garden State. This work is made possible with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.