Ephrata woman shares cooking talent
EPHRATA — Colleen Gibbins loves to cook and wants to teach you how at the Ephrata Recreation Center.
The Ephrata resident is teaching a specialty cake and pastry class and a kid's cooking class this month.
For most of her life, Gibbins has taught. Whether it be stain glass or cooking classes, she loves it. The class she enjoys most is a children's cooking class.
"That's my heart, this is my heart," Gibbins said. "I have people cooking with me all the time."
She finds the children are the most articulate and have the most fun.
During the four session class she is teaching children how to make pie, peanut butter and jelly, muffins, Valentine's Day cookies, Jell-O and much more.
The kids get to take home their creations and several cooking utensils.
"I'm not one to say you have to color within the lines," she said.
She wants the children to be creative and learn at the same time.
Students from the Sage Hills High School volunteered to help the children with their cooking projects, she said.
"I'm kind of a self taught person in a lot of areas," she said. "I like to teach."
Her application of passion to teach came after she entered a cooking contest in Ephrata and won.
It was the Mint Explosion Contest. She had to make a dish and garnish it with mint. The previous year she won second place for the same contest.
Now she is teaching a cake decorating class.
"It isn't about eating the whole cake, it's about the art of it," Gibbins said.
During the three-day class she plans to cover a lot of ground. She wants to teach her students how to make beautiful dishes, she said.
Wedding cakes, cupcakes and many more pastries are a few projects on her mind.
"There's million (ways) to make a beautiful cake," she said.
Participants learn how to carve a cake into various shapes.
Those who attend the class receive various specialty tools to take home including icing bags and tips.
"This is going to be so much fun," she said.
For more information, contact Ephrata City Hall at 509-754-4601, ext. 5.