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California School of Culinary Arts Hosts Hands-On Thanksgiving Dinner for Former Foster Children
Angie Harmon and Jason Seahorn Join Alliance for Children's Rights at CSCA in Hollywood as Young Adults of the Foster System Learn to Cook and Create Their Own Tradition
LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 7, 2008 – Chef instructors of the California School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) will lend their talents to teach former foster children how to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the school's Hollywood campus on November 22. Actress Angie Harmon and husband Jason Seahorn, of the New York Giants, will host the Alliance for Children's Rights (ACR) annual event.
"We feel privileged to show these young people how to prepare a healthy, low-cost holiday meal and to help them learn how to host their own holiday dinners for years to come," said CSCA chef instructor Chanel Martinez.
The event will be attended by approximately 50 young adults aged 18-24 who have "aged out" of the Los Angeles foster care system and often have no families with whom to celebrate holidays. The event was created by ACR to provide an afternoon of fun and good food while giving young adults an opportunity to create their own traditions as they transition into adulthood.
Participants will be organized in rotating stations in the professional kitchens of CSCA where chefs will teach them how to create delicious appetizers, sides and pastries. In addition, they will learn etiquette rules and how to design centerpieces and set a formal table. After all the dishes are prepared, the youth, along with their mentors and volunteers, will sit to enjoy the sumptuous feast and get to know each other over the meal.
Menu items will include brined and roasted turkey with sourdough bread stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, sautéed beans, whole cranberry sauce, baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes with a marshmallow sauce, cornbread and mixed green salad. For dessert there will be pumpkin pie and apple-cranberry slab pie.
Harmon and Seahorn, who are long-time supporters of the Alliance for Children's Rights, will lend a hand in the kitchen and join the participants for dinner.
Sponsors for the event include CSCA, Dole Sparklers and Albertsons.
About California School of Culinary Arts
California School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) was established in 1994 in Pasadena, Calif., and formed a partnership with the internationally renowned Le Cordon Bleu. With campuses in Pasadena and Hollywood, CSCA is an affiliate of Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America – one of the largest providers of quality culinary arts education. Accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, CSCA offers the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu education through four different degree and diploma programs in Culinary Arts, Pâtisserie & Baking and Hospitality & Restaurant management. California School of Culinary Arts is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information, go to www.csca.edu.
About the Alliance
The Alliance for Children's Rights is the leading free legal services organization in Los Angeles dedicated solely to protecting the rights of abused and impoverished children. Since its inception in 1992, The Alliance has served nearly 60,000 children: children living in foster care or transitioning out of it, children in need of medical treatment, children with educational challenges, and children who are waiting for legal guardianship or adoption.
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