MY HERO - ANDREW: WRITTEN BY IRENE. OWNER AND FOUNDER
Our Adventure
My now 21 year-old son Andrew is the inspiration for the development of this program, Cooking 4 Life Skills.
From a very early age, I encouraged Andrew to join me in all aspects of cooking. I encouraged this as we were told that our son wouldn’t be able to talk and communicate, therefore I needed a way to cross the bridge into Andrew’s world and get him to communicate with me and we found this bridge through cooking.
We had our challenges, which included exposures to textures that he disliked, selective hearing, refusing to listen, concentration issues and temper tantrums when it all became too much for him. Even though we encountered these bumps on the road, the confidence that came with every cooking session gave Andrew support in everyday activities as whilst we are cooking, Andrew is learning to read, how to use the metric system, how to be tactile with different textures, taste different foods, shopping independently, money management and the list just continues to expand each time Andrew walks into the kitchen and puts his apron on.
I am so proud to say that through Andrew’s experiences with cooking, he has developed the life skills that enable him to live independently.
Andrew has gone on to not only say his first words, but has successfully completed his Certificate I in Food Processing at Melbourne Polytechnic, received a Pride of Workmanship Award for Cookery, worked and volunteered in a variety of different restaurants and cafes and is now undertaking his next Certificate in Food Processing at Melbourne Polytechnic.
Andrew has ambitions to open up his own cafe one day, bringing forth his amazing recipes to share with you all.