STANDING IN TWO STRAIGHT lines, the transitional kindergarteners chanted, “Hip, hip pizza!” as they patiently waited to go inside.
“Let’s go find out what chefs do,” said TK teacher Nicole Vasquez, leading the students in.
St. Hedwig Catholic School’s two TK classes spent a recent morning at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in Seal Beach on Feb. 24 to learn about important community helpers — chefs and other types of kitchen staff — and to engage in some hands-on, exploratory play by creating a personal pizza.
ST. HEDWIG CATHOLIC SCHOOL TK STUDENT STEVIE MAGOR, RIGHT, MAKES HIS PIZZA AT THE LOCAL CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN IN SEAL BEACH ON FEB. 24. PHOTOS BY JUANITO HOLANDEZ JR./DIOCESE OF ORANGE
“Welcome! Are you guys ready to make some pizzas?” asked Chef Stacy Reed, manager of the CPK, as the students yelled their assent. “You’re definitely in the right place.”
Learning about community helpers and the community is the main social studies focus in TK. St. Hedwig’s two TK teachers try to get a community helper, such as a dentist, doctor or police officer, to come into the classroom every month to talk about their job, Vasquez explained.
Before the field trip, the students learned about different types of chefs: cooks, prep cooks and sous chefs, as well as the various tools they need to do their jobs. The lesson also focused on kitchen safety: washing hands and staying away from the heat, Vasquez said.
ST. HEDWIG CATHOLIC SCHOOL TK STUDENT KAI KLAUER, 4, AND HIS DAD BILL KLAUER AT THE LOCAL CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN IN SEAL BEACH.
As the students trickled into the CPK dining room, they donned colorful aprons and crisp, white chef’s hats before sitting down. In front of each student was a small container of marinara sauce, sausage, pepperoni and pineapple, and a large cup of cheese.
Sonora Zea, 5, spread her marinara sauce with a spoon. While her mom helped her add cheese to the pizza, she used her fingers to eat the pineapple as she worked. Zea said this was her first time making pizza.
“I put some red sauce and some cheese on it,” Zea said. “It’s fun and I like making pizzas because it’s fun to cook it and make it.”
Another student hesitated to start his pizza, wanting to know if he should spread the marinara all over or maybe leave room for the crust. In the next seat, Louis Ginocchio, 5, was giving advice to his fellow chefs.
“I know the first thing about pizza,” Ginocchio declared proudly. “You have to make a circle.”
Louis’ mom, Monique Ginocchio, helped him go over the steps to make a pizza with his classmates sitting next to him. Their family makes pizzas at home. They have fun letting the kids go to town with the sauces and toppings, Monique Ginocchio said.
“I love seeing everything that we are teaching him at home transfer to school,” Monique Ginocchio said. “I like seeing him teaching his friends how to do it.”
As half the students crafted their lunches, the others went on a tour of the kitchen. As the staff prepped the space for opening, the students toured the walk-in fridge and dry storage area before walking by the 500-degree pizza oven — which would cook their pizzas in just seven minutes. As the pizzas disappeared and small faces were freckled with marinara smudges, a server walked in with a serving tray filled with cups of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and colorful sprinkles, all topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
The children cheered as the sundaes were handed out.
“I love seeing their eyes light up as their pizzas come out, but what really makes me excited is when they see the dessert,” Vasquez said. “The dessert is what makes them just scream. I know that they are having a great time, and the smiles are evidence of that.”