FLINT, Michigan — On a Saturday morning, the sounds of young girls and their mothers permeate the Flint Farmers' Market Demonstration Kitchen. The head chef, Chef Tee, leads the class, instructing everyone on how to prepare the meal of the day: stuffed chicken, a salad, asparagus, and fried donuts made from biscuits.

One by one, every child and parent cuts and seasons the chickens, chops up veggies, and places them in the oven. As the smells waft through the air, smiling faces become anxious while grumbling stomachs signify that everyone is hungry. 

They’re all here to participate in a new program in the Flint community called NourisHER through the organization Mission Possible. The NourisHER program aims to empower women and girls of all ages with introductory culinary skills while promoting healthy eating habits.

These skills and eating habits form through engaging, hands-on cooking classes, where mother-daughter groups learn how to prepare nutritious and delicious meals and cultivate a deeper appreciation for food and cooking. The overall goal is to provide lifelong skills and a passion for cooking.

Program Manager Cheree Riddle and Chef Tee are all smiles after another successful NourisHER class at the Flint Farmers' Market on May 11, 2024. (Bryce Mata | Flintside.com)
“The mothers and their daughters cooked stuffed chicken. They made the cream cheese stuffing from scratch. The girls seasoned their chicken, we put it in the oven, they made some asparagus, and we had salad for all the women. We had a time making sure they knew they could do this at home -- [that they] have all the tools,” explains Cheree Riddle of Mission Possible's NourisHER class. 

Beyond teaching cooking techniques and recipes, NourisHER fosters confidence, creativity, a fun atmosphere, and independence in the kitchen. While the program is rooted in providing opportunities to young girls, Mission Possible plans to expand with the introduction of NourisHIM. 

NourisHIM will be a one-day boys’ class made possible by generous sponsorships from several local businesses, including Financial Plus Credit Union, Goyette Mechanical, and Flint Prints. The class will pave the way for future mixed-gender and gender-specific classes planned for next year.

Flintside caught up with Mission Possible’s Program Manager Cheree Riddle to discuss the significance and impact of NourisHER, instilling healthy food habits in local youth, and expanding the organization's mission. 

The young girls were all smiles and full of energy as they made donuts from fried biscuits during Mission Possible's NourisHER class on May 11, 2024. (Bryce Mata | Flintside.com)
Flintside: Can you tell me more about NourisHER’s mission?

Cheree Riddle: "What we are trying to do is provide nutritional facts and [introduce] healthy eating habits. We have included women and girls from age four, and we've had an 18 and up group. We try to keep it healthy and teach them how to eat healthy. Today, we did a 'Mother and Me' [class] for Mother's Day and we'll have the little girls and their dads. We like to include all the community and I am happy to be a part of something that provides economic development for children and adults. And it's free. Just sign up."

Flintside: How do you find your chefs?

C. Riddle: "We are a dual program which means as much as we help the community and the girls that come to our class, we also help our staff. Our chefs, they're in culinary school, and they're getting an experience or they want something on their resumes. It benefits our staff a lot as well as our community and the girls that show up. So that's one great thing about us."

Flintside: How did you come to be a part of all of this?

C. Riddle: "I came to be a part of Mission Possible when they reached out to me about helping. I love my community. Flint is in me — it is me. I was more than happy to be a part of their team. It’s been life-changing and so fun to meet these girls. I make sure I know everybody’s name [and] their mom’s name. I try to really get personal with these girls because we want to create those great building experiences for them because you’ll never know when you’ll see these girls again."

Mission Possible teaches elementary culinary skills and safe practices to keep kids safe in the kitchen during its NourisHER class on May 11, 2024. (Bryce Mata | Flintside.com)
Flintside: Walk us through the process of getting these girls to cook. 

C. Riddle: "The mothers and their daughters cooked stuffed chicken. They made the cream cheese stuffing from scratch. The girls seasoned their chicken, we put it in the oven, they made some asparagus, and we had salad for all the women. We had a time making sure they knew they could do this at home — that they had all the tools. Also, we did some dessert today and they loved it. They made their own glaze to go with the doughnuts with powdered sugar. They had a time!"

Flintside: What is it like, from your point of view, to see the girls and their moms interacting while cooking?

C. Riddle: "It’s just so fun seeing them do stuff like that. For the classes when we don’t have the mothers there, we assist the children. Like today, we had a girl when we were doing a teaspoon of vanilla and one turned into a lot more. We let them have their creativity. She said, “I know what I’m doing.” And I was like, “Hey baby, it’s your world. We just living in it.”"

A mother-daughter duo prepares to make fried donuts during Mission Possible's NourisHER class on May 11, 2024. (Bryce Mata | Flintside.com)
Flintside: Where can people go to get info and sign up for a class? 

C. Riddle: "Right now, we are Facebook only so we do a lot of sharing on our platforms. It’s really word of mouth right now. This is a free event. We just want to make a great experience for everybody."

Flintside: What is it you want to see from NourisHER going forward?

C. Riddle: "I just want to see more. I love what I see, I love the gratification, and the growth that I see. You know, our groups aren’t small at all. The groups that we have can be larger. We can touch more people and that’s what I’m hoping. We want to make sure that Flint has the tools they need. If we can help, we're going to help. Thank you to everyone who put in the work to get that funding for us. Shout out to the Farmers' Market for giving us a space. It’s been a wonderful ride."

To learn more about Mission Possible, find and follow them on Facebook.