By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Five first-graders in Creek View Elementary School teacher Chrissy Walsh’s class shared uniform looks of amazement when they saw a tray holding several personal-size pizzas on the morning of Oct. 8.

The five students – Jocelyn Robes-Brito, Audrey Nickell, Tommy Frederick, Jackson Brashier and Jacob Bailey – spent the morning learning the basics of cooking from Alabaster School System chef Scott Lokey.

During the lesson, the students picked parsley, basil and oregano from the school’s outdoor herb garden, learned the difference between fresh and dried herbs, created pizza sauce for their personal pizzas using the herbs they picked, constructed the pizzas and then marveled at the finished product after the pizzas were cooked.

“It’s great that they are willing and want to learn the basics of cooking, and it’s neat for me to work with kids. They are basically my sous chefs today,” Lokey said. “Instead of going to the store and getting a frozen pizza, they now understand the process behind making it fresh.”

The day was part of Walsh’s “farm to belly” lesson, which seeks to teach the kids the importance of eating healthy and fresh, she said.

“We took a nature walk one day so we could learn about and smell the different types of herbs,” Walsh said as the five students chowed down on the pizzas they made. “We want them to understand how important it is to make healthy choices when they are eating.”

Thanks to a donation from Alabaster’s Joe’s Italian restaurant, all five children received personalized chef aprons and hats to use during the lesson and while cooking at home.

While the kids were preparing their pizzas in the CVES cafeteria, school child nutrition program manager Joyce Jackson made sure the group had everything it needed.

“Hopefully, they will remember this for a long time. Not many kids can say ‘I made my own pizza at school,’” Lokey said.