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Broadview Students Get Their Cooking Chops From Food Network Chef 


Chef Robert Stewart, who has appeared on various Food Network shows, taught a group of Lindop students how to cook during a roughly two-week program last year. | Michael Romain 

Sunday, June 19, 2022 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews 

A May 18 staff appreciation dinner on the grounds of Lindop Elementary School, 2400 S. 18th Ave. in Broadview doubled as an opportunity for the school’s students to show what they learned from Food Network alum Chef Robert Stewart, who also goes by Chef Stew. 

Stewart, a Baltimore native who has appeared on TV competition cooking shows like “Guy’s Grocery Games” and Cutthroat Kitchen,” launched Transition Kitchen in order to teach young people in his hometown culinary arts skills that can transfer into career opportunities. 

After learning about his program, Lindop District 92 Supt. Janiece Jackson contacted Stewart and asked if he might teach some of her students in Broadview. He agreed. 

Dishes cooked by Chef Stew and his students prepare to go out to diners on May 18. | Michael Romain 

“Too many of our little kids want to be basketball players and rappers,” Stewart said during an interview last month. “I wanted to show them that they can get money in the culinary industry, too. 

“So, when Dr. Jackson reached out to me, I said, ‘Let’s see if we can set something up in Chicago. I tailored the program to be virtual and that was a big success.” 

Jackson said that roughly 30 students, who were in the second through eighth grades, took 10 to 12 weeks of cooking classes last year.  

Stewart said he was supposed to visit the students during graduation last year, but Covid canceled those plans when the graduation was postponed. 

Lindop student Makayla Miller, 12, was one of the Chef Stew’s students. | Michael Romain 

He finally got to see the kids in person on May 18, cooking alongside them for more than 100 guests who attended that evening’s staff appreciation dinner. Dishes included steak resting on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with asparagus, and salad. 

“It was great to see them implement some of the stuff I tried to teach them,” Steward said. 

Makayla Miller, a 12-year-old Lindop student, said she aspires to be a lawyer when she grows up, but she nonetheless benefited from Stewart’s program. 

“I learned how to use an oven and how to keep my area clean,” she said, adding that she plans on utilizing her newfound culinary skills at home. 

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