“Walk With Sally” brought more than 20 children, suffering from cancer, to Hot’s Kitchen for their “Friendship in the Kitchen” in Hermosa Beach. Chef Sean Chaney filled the with educational fun. The kids were able to participate in cooking activities that let them forget about their illness for a time.
The mission of Walk With Sally is to provide mentoring support programs and services to children of parents with cancer – one child at a time, one heart at a time.
The morning started off with a tour of the kitchen led by Chef Chaney where kids and mentors learned about the equipment in a professional kitchen and what it’s like to be a chef. Shortly after, surprise guest Bo Bridges gave participants a quick photography lesson and let them shoot their own photographs.
The main event was a cooking tutorial led by Chef Sean, where the kids were taught hands-on how to cook two easy and delicious dishes for their families.
After a lunch of Hot’s specialty burgers and tacos, each child went home with a gift bag filled with the necessary ingredients and materials to prepare the meals at home, including kid-friendly cooking utensils from Kidding Around in the Kitchen.
Chef Sean Chaney was thrilled to be a part of the event, saying “I had the best time today. It was so fulfilling to be able to teach these kids to make an easy and healthy meal. The way they got so excited about the little things we take for granted, like setting the table, or helping clean up, was humbling to see.”
Pamela Penson, the CEO and President of Walk With Sally commented, “I’d say about 80% of the children here today have never learned how to cook or really set foot in a kitchen, so I believe today’s event was truly life-changing for them. These kids have been searching for a way to give back to their families who have been so affected by the loss of a loved one to cancer, so by enabling them to go home tonight and cook a meal for their parents is incredible.”
All Walk With Sally programs and services are free of charge and open to all children between 7 and 17 years of age. Walk With Sally programs are dedicated to helping children successfully cope with the emotional trauma of a parent’s or sibling’s cancer. www.walkwithsally.org
