Success Story4-H Cooking Club, Baking Edition



4-H Cooking Club, Baking Edition

Author: Shelley Crawford

Planning Unit: Trigg County CES

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

Plan of Work: Nutrition and Food Systems

Outcome: Initial Outcome

4-H Cooking Club, Baking Edition was created to meet several needs in Trigg County.  First was the need to teach young people to prepare foods at home and not be as dependent on processed foods from the grocery and fast food businesses.  Obesity and chronic disease is a problem for nearly half of all adults in the county.  A second need was an economic one.  Family finances are very unstable right now and inflation can be seen in our grocery stores.  Youth who have a variety of food preparation skills can do more with cheaper staple food products and not have to purchase more expensive over-processed products.  A third need was teaching young people a skill that they could take home and share with their families, thus strengthening family bonds. We also wanted to encourage 4-H'ers to enter baked goods that would be eligible for the Kentucky State Fair.  

The 4-H Cooking Club, Baking Edition was led by the Trigg County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and Trigg County 4-H Youth Development Agent.  Five members met for a series of 6 sessions using a combination of Super Star Chef, Baking Edition, and recipes from the 4-H Foods category for the Kentucky State Fair. One member of the class has a rare degenerative disease and his grandfather participated in the classes to assist him.  We baked muffins, biscuits, soft pretzels, pie crusts, cookies, and cakes. 

The goal of the 4-H Cooking Club is to help youth become self-sufficient in the kitchen, while learning healthy habits that will last a lifetime and influence the people around them. While several things that we baked were foods that you would only eat occasionally, we emphasized the importance of baking these items at home instead of depending on overly-processed foods from the grocery or quick restaurants.  We showed them how they can produce versions of these foods with less fat, salt, and sugar.  

100% of the members indicated they tried new foods, learned new food preparation techniques, and practiced these skills at home.






Stories by Shelley Crawford


Living a Healthier Lifestyle through Virtual Cooking

about 3 years ago by Shelley Crawford

The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians and Trigg Countians. Obe... Read More


Stories by Trigg County CES


The Power of Your Pantry

The Power of Your Pantry

about 4 years ago by Cecelia Hostilo

Early during the pandemic, many people found their grocery stores temporarily out of certain food pr... Read More


Mills to Meals: Celebrating Yesterday and Today

about 3 years ago by Cecelia Hostilo

In the Pennyrile Area of Kentucky, grain milling is a rich part of the agricultural history. In ord... Read More