Hello! My name is Angie Lee and I am the Cooking Camp Curriculum Director for VeryVera! I joined the VeryVera team back in September of 2018 and it has been an interesting 5 months at VeryVera! From brainstorming various themes, creating the designs for modules, to recipe testing and making crafts each day, each day is filled with new surprises! Now, how did I find my way to VeryVera in the first place? Back in August, one of Vera’s former team members, (Anna Mutimer) approached me about this job opportunity while I was giving a MyPlate presentation across the street at the Junior League of Augusta. I remember her saying “Vera will like you already since you graduated from the University of Georgia” (Vera’s alma mater)!
To back track, I completed my bachelor’s in Dietetics at the great University of Georgia. Before I decided to pursue my degree in dietetics, I was originally an art major my first year at UGA. I realized after a year, art wasn’t something I was truly passionate about and decided to focus on something I loved more: food. Now I am currently enrolled at Augusta University’s Coordinated Masters and Dietetic Internship Program to become a Registered Dietitian. However, I did not throw away all my creativity when I switched majors. As you will hopefully see in this Summer Cooking Camp, I have worked diligently to create each module to fit its theme and included recipes and activities for the campers to express their creativity. My vision for Cooking Camp is to provide campers with a guideline, but also give them the flexibility to express themselves and create their own original piece of work. Not only do I wish for the campers to be creative with their crafts, but also in the kitchen and in their life outside of Cooking Camp. Creativity is something that cannot be taught and is a way of expressing oneself differently than the next person. This is how I also view the field of nutrition. Most of us are able to choose what we want to eat and how we want to incorporate specific foods into our diet. There is no one specific way to be “healthy”. We all make individual efforts to incorporate healthy habits into our lives based on our current lifestyles, likes and dislikes, and other factors. I hope all VeryVera campers can come this summer and express their creativity with all the fun activities I have created for them!
Sadly, I will not be able to attend the summer camp due to my school schedule, but I do hope every camper enjoys each curriculum I have planned out! Caroline Williams (Camp Director) and I hope they enjoy all the monkey business in the “Into the Jungle” and have a rawr-ing time at the “Dino-Mite Party”, and bring out those cowboy/girl hats for the “Wild, Wild West”! They may also be featured in a film with our “Top Chefs” and get to learn new languages as “World Travelers”!
