This Yonkers chef is all about baking self confidence into teen cooking classes
- Melanie
- Aug 31
- 3 min read
This Yonkers chef is all about baking self confidence into teen cooking classes
Rockland/Westchester Journal News
July 15, 2025
Yonkers-based chef and educator Melanie Underwood is mixing her passions into a new initiative for teens.
Gather to Give, which starts Sept. 21, is a donation-based cooking class conducted out of her home kitchen where kids ages 13 to 17 learn to cook, connect, and contribute to causes that fight hunger and promote food justice.
The monthly program, which lasts until May, is designed to teach practical culinary skills while also raising money for nonprofits working to combat food insecurity. All proceeds from the events are donated — and participants play an active role in choosing where the funds go.
For Underwood, who's been teaching at Fairfield Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, Connecticut for seven years and prior to that was a culinary instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, this is more than teaching recipes and creating meals. It's about building community, restoring dignity and addressing hunger.
A longtime proponent of volunteering — she's been doing it since she was eight — Underwood's also hoping her background in mindfulness helps kids learn the value of stepping away from their screens and absorbing the sights and sounds of the kitchen.
“I created Gather to Give because I believe food is both a source of joy and a tool for change,” she said. Her other reason? She's seen firsthand the effects of post pandemic teen loneliness.
Many of her students, she said, were no longer connecting with each other. Nor did they understand the concept of giving back.
"They don't see how helping others is helping yourself," she said.
To make sure anyone and everyone can participate, Underwood, who's been cooking for 30 years and written five cookbooks, has taken away the money equation by emphasizing a pay-what-you-can donation, though $50 is suggested to offset food/supply costs. Adding more icing on the cake: the program allows students to earn 25 to 30-plus hours of community service with additional opportunities for more.
Also baked into the coursework: practical cooking and life skills which foster independence. Each event includes a thoughtfully crafted menu, expert instruction from Underwood, and the satisfaction of making a tangible impact.
"The most important skill I teach isn't cooking," reads the quote on her website "It's trusting yourself."
Her main objective, she stressed, is to make teens feel valued and purposeful and to show them the joy of making a difference — and seeing their impact firsthand.
She also hopes they forge genuine friendships.
Already, her first program — she can only accept 10 students at a time — is at capacity with a wait list. She sees that a good sign and is hoping to add more classes and, eventually, expand the age range.
"I'd love a sponsor who could offer a space," she said. As she's currently offering the program for free — and fronting all the costs — she'd also be interested in having a local supermarket or others in the food community donate to the program.
Not part of Gather to Give, but worth a mention are the conversational napkins she started selling (for $25) a few months ago. Each napkin has 43 prompts with questions such as "What's the craziest food you've ever eaten?" to "Do you believe in luck?" to "What reality show would you want to be on?"
"A big part of what I do is teaching people to connect," she said. " I have a very confident personality that I believe comes from the very strong family structure I had growing up. "And I want to give kids that space to feel that confidence, even if it's for one hour."For more information go to nourishandgather.co/gather-to give.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
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