Leaside High cooks! - Leaside Life

Teacher Caralin Fleet, Leaside High School.

Each month we cover a Leasider’s special dish with a hearty side order of narrative.

It happens 10 times a school year, draws crowds, smells yummy and has become an institution at Leaside High School. Courtesy of the Food and Nutrition program and especially teacher Caralin Fleet, it’s a food service where students cook for staff and students.

In early May Oodles of Noodles was on offer, and I was fortunate enough to cover it for this month’s Leaside Cooks. June’s recipe is the very summery Vietnamese Cold Noodle Salad, ingredients for which can be found at any grocery store. Some of the other events and themes promoted at the lunch-time feast are Easter, Eid, Passover, Christmas, and Hanukkah as well as Taste of Toronto, Taste of Canada and Soup-a-Palooza. All in all, there are 10 opportunities for everyone to eat well at school, five per semester.

The event has been a staple at LHS since 2022. That was the year Fleet returned to teaching after an extended maternity leave. “Restaurants and food venues around the school had been shuttered during the time I was away. The closing of Sunnybrook Plaza and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction had a negative impact. There was a need, and I realized we had the talent to fill it,” she says. Principal Barb Nixon adds that the cafeteria’s closing several years ago contributed to the dearth of food options. “Caralin came to me with the idea of students cooking for students and I was fully supportive.”

Fleet started as a social science teacher – she is also a past contributor to Leaside Life (May 2017), but has been teaching Foods courses at Leaside since 2015 and has always had a passion for the culinary arts. She considered cooking a hobby, even starting a small online cake-making business. “In my first year of teaching at LHS I ran an after-school cake club, which proved to be popular. When the Foods department grew and needed another teacher, they asked me to step in and teach those classes.”

When she returned from her leave, she added the grade 11 Food and Culture course to her timetable, taking over from former Leaside teacher Mark Chambers, who had himself attended Leaside and whose family still live in the community. It was Mark who inspired the idea since he was famous for creating Soup-a-Palooza, a celebration of soups cooked up and sold by his classes to students and staff in the winter months. Fleet has grown it since then.

For a nominal fee – the charge covers the cost of groceries – students and staff have the choice of a large or small plate; lineups are out the door. Fleet’s Grade 11s work the magic – from creating the menu to preparing the dishes and ultimately doing the washing up. The meal events start about one month into the course, after the class has completed the safety unit teaching proper use of kitchen equipment and food handling. The course is also taught in French because LHS offers a French Immersion and Extended French program.

Family Studies at LHS

In Grade 9 students learn, among other things, sewing and financial literacy. There is even a Grade 12 food and nutrition course. Abby Campbell, a student in Fleet’s senior food course, took the Grade 11 class last year. She explains, “I initially took it to learn life and cooking skills I knew I would need when I left home. I liked Ms. Fleet’s mantra: ‘Anyone can cook.’ Our meal events were great ways to showcase what we had learned. I felt empowered; the events were inclusive and connected us to our peers through food.”

Oodles of Noodles includes Italian favourites like lasagna and ravioli but also pho, udon and pad Thai. “All pasta is noodles, but not all noodles are pasta,” Fleet says. She doesn’t just teach about the flavours and traditions behind dishes from far away; during the Taste of Canada event, she also teaches about Indigenous dishes and their significance. A favourite is Three Sisters Chili, which includes corn, beans and squash. “These crops are planted together and support each other as they grow. It’s like a celebration and happens to be delicious.”

Fleet jokes that the secret to the success of the food events is location. The classroom and its kitchens are smack-dab in the middle of the school on the main floor so no one can miss the appetizing aromas.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Tangy Dressing

This Vietnamese noodle salad is made with vermicelli rice noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables! It’s tossed with a delicious tangy and savory Vietnamese dressing and can be served cold!

Prep Time15minutes mins

Total Time15minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Sides

Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese

Servings: 4

Calories: 117kcal

Ingredients

7 oz thin vermicelli rice noodles – (dried) about 200g; substitute with any thin noodle
3 cups cucumber – julienned; about 2 cucumbers
3 cups carrots – julienned; about 2 medium carrots
2 ⅓ cups fresh herbs – basil, cilantro, mint, scallions – packed tightly
2 jalapeno peppers – (optional); cut into thin rounds
lime wedges – (optional); for serving
crushed peanuts – (optional); for garnish

Dressing

¼ cup fish sauce use soy sauce for vegan option
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup water
2 Tablespoons lime juice – freshly squeezed (about half a lime)
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic – minced
1 small Thai chili pepper – (optional) finely diced

Instructions

Rehydrate your noodles by soaking them in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until completely soft. Drain the noodles and set them aside in a colander to drain off excess water.

This method works if using thin noodles. Otherwise, follow the directions on the package to cook the noodles. Meanwhile prep the vegetables and herbs.

Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust according to your preferences. Makes about 1 cup of sauce.
Place the noodles in a large bowl and top with the cucumbers, carrots, basil, cilantro, and any other fresh herbs. Add the jalapenos at this time (if using). Add the dressing and toss to combine.
Serve immediately as a main course or as a side. Add your choice of protein on top. See Notes for make ahead instructions.

Notes

Make Ahead:

If making ahead, leave out the dressing and store the noodle salad in the fridge to serve cold. As the herbs can bruise and dry out easily, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Add the dressing and toss to combine right before serving. Make ahead a day in advance.

Nutrition