Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-02-20
The Public School Cooking Class.
THEY GIVE AN EXHIBITION OF THEIR SKILL
AFTER ONLY 16 LESSONS

AFTER ONLY 10 LESSONS.
The Public Schools of Staunton are ahead
even of those of larger cities of the South, in
| that it has cooking department well manag-
ed in which its female pupils are taught the
important art of cooking in the best and most
wholesome style. On last Friday, the senior
class in this department gave an exhibition of
their progress and skill, after only sixteen
lessons to the members of the City School
Board and representatives of the Press AS
we could not be present, on account of bust
ness engagements, we copy from the Ne,cs
Its very full and detailed report that our read
ers may learn what our Public Schools are
doing to prepare it's female pupils for the
practical duties of life, that they may be, in
future, not only the helpeats, but the help
meets of their husbands, who will prize more
highly their knowledge of cooking than their
knowledge of music, for. to their ears will be
more grateful the rattle of the cook pans.
than the drumming of piano. The Ne,cs
Of Saturday says
The members of the Senior Cooking Glass
Of the White Public High School, Misses
Katie Fifer, Josie Ogilvie, Clara Nothnagie,
}arrle Echard, Eugene Bumgardner, Josie
Loeb, Margaret Timberlake, Bertha Barnes,
Leftwich and Nellie Palmer. under direction
Of Miss Alice l. Bragg, teacher of cooking.
yesterday gave an exhibition of their skill to
he members of the school board and to the
newspaper men of the city. The invitations
named Y to 2 p. M. as the hour. Shortly
alter II Miss Bragg announced to the young
aides, gathered about long table on which
are number of gas stoves and all the ordi-
nary cooking utensils. what the dinner was to
consist of and what each pupil was to pre-
U3re, and that everything should be ready for
dinner at exactly l.30 .. M no sooner and no
later, Miss Bragg explained that the class had
taken Just sixteen lessons
Each young lady. in dainty white cap apron
and sleeveless. Immediately set to work with
The GOODNESS of veteran to prepare the dish
assigned to her. 1t was remarkable how little
evidence of nervousness appeared. Some of
course were more collected than others, but
each seemed to know her task. Jackets began
to fly from potatoes, apples to be pared and
chopped fine, celery scraped and cut to pieces,
bones and gristle were removed from the
chops and skewers inserted, -four sfted and
made ready for mixing into dough, in short.
all of the thousand and one details were gone
through carefully and systematically. With
in few minutes of the appointed time, the
superintendent of City Schools members of
the Board and newspaper men and other
guests present sat down to a spotless table and
"
ing dishes, each of which was pronounced ex-
cellent by gentlemen who have seen much of
the world and who know what good cooking
is, the experience of some of them extending
to two cOntir ents:
MENU.
Celery Soup.
Dreaded Lamb Chops with Tomato Sauce.
Potato Croquettes
Turnips.
Turkish Pelof.
Prune Whip with Whipped Cream.
Apple Fritters with Lemon Sauce.
Biscuits
Coffee.
1t is matter of congratulation to the PEG
pie of Staunton and another evidence of her
'progressi, eness as compared with other
Southern cities, that she should have been
the first to introduce cooking into the regular
curriculum of her schools. and that she
should have secured the services of Miss Bragg
to introduce it. Thoroughly self-possessed.
refined and competent, she is doing work
that will be of lasting benefit to the city The
young ladies under her tuition seem to appre
ciate their great opportunity. They have the
opportunity If they but take advantage of it
intelligently and conscientiously, as they no
doubt will. to acquire here a practical training
that will be worth more to them in future life
than all the rest of their schooling combined
Not counting the advantages to their own
households there can be no doubt that the
cities and towns of the South will soon be
coming to Staunton for graduates of our
cooking school to initiate this branch of in
struction in their schools.
This cooking renaissance is no fad, but is
the most practical reform of the present day
The ladies of Staunton who fail to visit the
school and to famliarize themselves with Its
good work, are missing opportunities such as
have never before come to them. 1t would
greatly encourage the school board and Off
Gals encourage Miss Bragg, and, most impor
tant of all, the young ladies of the school, if
the ladies of Staunton would come to the
school and observe the methods followed
there. One visit is likely to be followed by
second, as there are few things in Staunton
that can offer so strong an attraction. No
Stanton lady is competent to dilate to stran-
gers on the many good qualities and charac
teristics of this charming little city until she
has visited the cooking school"