BUHL, Idaho — At the West End Senior Center, a group of seniors embraces the healing power of cooking while forging community bonds.
As Norma Chandler, a seasoned cook and former school kitchen supervisor, shared, "I've done that a lot. I was the oldest girl of nine children and I did a lot of cooking from the time I was 8 or 9 years old."
Even in retirement, Chandler still cherishes the chance to cook.
"I really enjoy the cooking part but then you have to find somebody who can eat all I wanna cook," she said with a smile.
Chandler's culinary journey continued at a recent cooking class hosted by St. Luke's at the senior center, where participants made protein balls using ingredients such as peanut butter, dates, and pistachios.
"It's a wonderful community they've created where they're feeding people but also that social interaction," said Makenzie Searle, the community health manager at St. Luke's.
March is National Nutrition Month, and Searle was joined by two dieticians for this week's class — the second she has facilitated at the center. Searle said they picked Buhl because small rural towns can often present unique challenges to nutritional access for senior citizens.
"The theme for National Nutrition Month this year is 'Food connects us,'" Searle explained. "It's about recognizing the power that food has not just to support our physical needs but also to enhance our mental health through social connection."
In attendance was Larry Canty, who eagerly returned for a second class after enjoying the first. "It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of stuff that I didn't know," he said. "It was a good time to enjoy the camaraderie of buddies and everything else, so it was fun."
These cooking classes at the West-End Senior Center exemplify how gathering around the kitchen can foster not only culinary skills but also vital social connections among seniors.
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