Dallas Walton, of Cork & Bull, is among the top chefs whipping up delicacies to benefit Easterseals PORT Health’s Culinary Connections. Courtesy photo.
By Marisa Marsey
Ashley Bruno, looking sharp in a royal blue chef’s apron and puffy white toque (yet unconventionally stylish thanks to sleek purple eyeglasses) deliberately slides a spatula under a thick sizzling beef patty, carefully lifts it, righting a couple wobbles, then places it onto a buttery bun with surgical precision.
“I did great,” the 31-year-old beams.
Next to her, Stacy Monroe, a 49-year-old who coyly quips that she’s “18 and holding” (her smooth complexion making the claim plausible), finishes off her own slider with bread-and-butter pickles. She seconds Ashley’s self-appraisal.
The two exhibit none of the stock-in-trade cattiness of reality cooking shows even though they’re in a gleaming state-of-the-art kitchen primed for a TV camera close-up.
Rather, they’re students in Culinary Connections, a service of Easterseals PORT Health (ESPH). Classes in a brand-new facility, located inside the Autism Resource Center in Virginia Beach (on Virginia Beach Boulevard near Rosemont Road), cover cooking skills, nutritional literacy and overall wellness to those with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), physical disabilities, mental health challenges and autism. The goal: greater independence and quality of life.
While measuring and mixing, they make friends, too.
Goofy jokes fly in this class called “Flippin’ Fun” – the fourth in an eight-week interactive series called “Recipe for Independence” for ages 16 and older.
Place cards indicate students’ individual workstations, each identically equipped with a burner, sauté pan, spatula, potholder and extra-large cutting board in colors like radiant red, juicy yellow and a green reminiscent of a proper “Chicago Dog’s” relish.
Savanna Wheeler, Culinary Lead, kicked off the 90-minute session for her six students (the max) with sanitation and fire safety instructions.
Then they got down to experimenting with technique using mini Eggo pancakes before learning how to brown beef evenly, recognizing when it’s time to flip.
“You don’t want one side burned and the other raw,” cautioned Savanna.
“I don’t want that,” nodded Ashley, a heady, meaty tang beginning to fill the air.
Part of a seasoned ESPH team delivering curriculum, Savanna is the daughter of a special education teacher’s assistant. She grew up helping in her mom’s class, earned a bachelor’s degree from Johnson & Wales University and logged over a decade in foodservice.
“It’s a fun experience to watch someone who has been told not to do something in the kitchen because of fear of fire or injury, do it,” she says, glancing around the 500-square-foot kitchen designed to model both home and commercial varieties, empowering students for everyday living as well as potential job opportunities.
Its adaptive tools include easy-grip L-shaped knives and animal-shaped vegetable peelers, but the pièce de résistance is a pedal-powered blender bike.
Younger students (ages 5-15) can enroll in “Cooking with Friends,” four one-hour sessions combining intentional play with developmental skill-building activities to address motor and sensory functions, social communication and food exploration.
And “iCook!” is an alternative to traditional talk therapy where youth in foster care engage in “culinary therapy” led by both a licensed therapist and culinary professional to develop coping techniques while they learn recipes.
“Culinary Connections is amazing,” says Ashley’s mom Carolyn Bruno. “It meets each student’s needs individually, and they walk out with tangible skills. We keep signing up.”
To meet the high demand for existing programs and provide services to military families and those with substance abuse, ESPH is hosting an inaugural fundraiser called Chef Fest: A Taste of Joy on Wednesday, March 12 at the Town Point Club in Norfolk.
Expect an evening of exquisite food, wine and spirits from our region’s top chefs and restaurants including Baladi Mediterranean Café, Cork & Bull Chophouse, CP Shucker’s, Omar’s Carriage House, Saté, TASTE, The Stockpot, The Twisted Fork, Tulu Seaside Grill, Wang Jiang Lou and, of course, the host site, Town Point Club led by Chef Eddie Lee, Chef Fest chair.
A Dream Team DJ and live and silent auctions with coveted packages including restaurant gift certificates, Virginia Stage Company tickets, curated wines from Press 626 and a tropical island getaway (complete with private chef) amp up the festivities for those who care about cuisine and community.
Ashley and other Culinary Connections alums will be there, too. They’re currently working on a menu of miniature fruit tarts, pecan bites, chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and chocolate-dipped cheesecake lollies.
“I’m excited,” she says, then gets back to garnishing – and admiring – her slider.
“While we’re munching down, let’s talk about next week,” Savanna wraps up this class. She previews that in “Egg-cellent” they’ll produce deviled eggs, mastering cracking raw eggs and hard-boiling eggs in the process.
For now, though, the students are more focused on their mini burgers. Every satisfying bite, a taste of joy.
For Culinary Connections classes or to request a tour of the kitchen visit eastersealsucp.com/culinary-connections
In a box:
Chef Fest: A Taste of Joy
Wednesday, March 12 at 6:30pm
Town Point Club
101 W. Main Street, Suite 300, Norfolk
Featuring
Town Point Club (Event & Chef Host)
Baladi Mediterranean Café
Cork & Bull Chophouse
CP Shucker’s Café & Raw Bar
Easterseals PORT Health’s Culinary Connections
Omar’s Carriage House
Saté: A New American Experience
TASTE
The Stockpot
The Twisted Fork
Tulu Seaside Bar & Grill
Wang Jiang Lou Chinese Fusion
To learn more and buy tix, visit eastersealsport.com/chef-fest-2025
