Prison journalism: I'm the best chef whose Food you can't tryOn the art of teaching incarcerated men how to bake Girl Scout cookies behind bars.
by Prison Journalism Project
27-09-2023 14:54
in Prison Journalism
Cooking in prison
Image by unsplash
Who's a big, tough gangsta making Girl Scout cookies in the penitentiary? I ask the students standing before me, trying not to laugh.
--
Today, we had already discussed how yeast works as a leavener in bread. We also tackled a recipe for a delicious cookie a family member sold me when I was on the outside: the Samoa.
C'mon, man, L.X. says, practically blushing underneath his multiple face tattoos. Stop it, he adds, cracking up.
I am the best chef whose food you can't try. That's how a former warden and my cellblock's self-appointed food critic described me.
--
As a chef and tutor in my facility's food technology and hospitality class, it is my job to teach the basics of cooking and baking so soon-to-be ex-cons are prepared to enter the workforce. Studies have shown that prisoners trained in trades have lower rates of recidivism.
The instructor, a state employee, grants me enough freedom to pick the meal of the day and teach students how to prepare it. I try to find creative ways to help them learn not only how to follow a recipe, but also the techniques and knowledge they need to do so effectively.
While many of the students I work with are under the age of 21, even the older ones have rarely cooked for themselves. I too had never used an oven before coming to prison. I was incarcerated at 15, before being taught any employable skills. I didn't know how to take care of myself.
--
The food technology and hospitality course changed my life when I enrolled at age 22. As a student, I busted my backside for a year - volunteering to do all the grunt work - so I could learn as much as possible from the teacher, who is the best chef I've ever known. Now, nine years after getting hired to work underneath him, I try to teach students both cooking basics and how to use their skills to take better care of themselves and their families.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Inside This prison, dogs are professors
WELCOME TO A PRISON KITCHEN Step into the classroom with me. The scent of baking bread fills the air. The sharpness of the yeast combined with caramel notes complements the smell of actual sugar caramelizing on the stove. The bubbling, viscous liquid darkens slightly in the aluminum pan. I tell J to remove it from the heat and bring it to our stainless steel worktable. He stirs the mixture with a rubber spatula while I pour in cream, going slow to avoid giving him a steam-burn. As it cools, I add a couple drops of artificial vanilla. (No real vanilla extract allowed - the real stuff contains alcohol and staff are rightly concerned that someone will try to drink it.)
The shortbread base comes out of the oven before our bread is done. After it cools slightly, we remove each cookie from the pan, spread some of our caramel over top, sprinkle on the toasted coconut, and place them on another pan. We will eventually drizzle the cookie tops, and dip the cookie bottoms, in chocolate.
I can't help but tease L.X. some more: Do you want to take some cookies to your little homies? Let them know you can bake just as well as a first-grade girl?
Heck yeah, I'll take some to my friends, and I'll be the man, he says, laughing. But seriously though, I'm gonna make these with my daughter when I get out.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: Free Mind
A JOB WITH MEMORABLE MOMENTS Now the bread's ready. I show J how to slice it with a serrated knife, which is tethered to a padlock welded to the table. Only my boss has the key.
For the rest of the class, we assemble 15 grilled chicken sandwiches, using lettuce and tomatoes locally sourced from a guy named Grump, who works in the prison garden. I'm a stickler for cleanliness, so I make L.X. put on gloves and transfer a sandwich to a new plate after he accidentally handles the top of a plate with his bare hands.
In so many ways, I have one of the best jobs. I've learned to cook from an amazing chef, and I get to eat some delicious dishes despite being in prison. But I also work hard every day. I teach, I cook and I still do hours of grunt work myself: washing dishes, scrubbing piles of pans, cleaning oven hoods.
One of the biggest challenges, however, is managing people. This job has landed me in almost five fights - one of which was over chocolate. People can be quick to resent you for having something they have never tried to pursue themselves, especially in prison.
But there are memorable moments too. I've had former students reach out to me after their release to request recipes, and a friend on the outside recently asked me to create an original hors d'oeuvre for their wedding.
A prison job has transformed who I am, and who I will be, when I get out.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: Life behind bars: Tale of resilience and unexpected bonds
Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer's identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.
Written by Christopher Dankovich for The Prison Journalism Project
Should you wish to assist in the rehabilitation of former inmates and help put money into the pockets of those who have struggled to earn a living during and after incarceration, click HERE
Do you have any question you would like to ask our prison journalists, WhatsApp us on 060 011 0211
Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website?
If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211
You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South Afric
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
Prison journalism: I'm the best chef whose Food you can't tryOn the art of teaching incarcerated men how to bake Girl Scout cookies behind bars.
