By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TRIBECA — A 32-year-old man named Josh bent over a can of corn at the Downtown Community Center this week, trying to work out how open it.
With help from his teacher, Josh, who has developmental disabilities, fumbled with a manual can opener until it latched onto the can's narrow lip. He pressed down until he heard a pop, and then he carefully worked his way around, until finally, the lid detached with a satisfying snap.
"Oh wow," Josh said, beaming at the first can he had ever opened. "Wow!"
Josh is part of a new program run by the nonprofit Job Path that teaches disabled adults how to grocery shop and cook healthy, simple, affordable meals. Wednesday was the group's third class, and in a nod to the frigid weather, they decided to make a microwavable chili.
The class met at the TriBeCa Whole Foods, where they used an ingredient list that was part words, part images, to pick out beans, diced tomatoes, green pepper, corn, cheese and more.
For each item, Kristen Klosinski, coordinator of community supports at Job Path, urged the students to look for the brand that was the cheapest and had the least fat and sodium.
The group then headed across the street to the Downtown Community Center's teaching kitchen, to wash, chop and mix the ingredients into a steaming, spicy meal.
"Most of these people have never been given the chance to cook for themselves," Klosinski said. "It gives them a huge sense of independence."
Along with teaching students how to assemble a dish, Klosinski also sprinkled in lessons in everything from how to stack items in a grocery cart (cans shouldn't go on top of produce) to how to use the microwave (never put in anything metal).
The participants on Wednesday said learning all the new skills didn't feel like work.
"It's fun," said Alvena, 32, who lives with her brother on the Upper West Side and bounded enthusiastically from task to task on Wednesday. "It's really good to learn how to cook. That way I can cook for myself. My father is not going to be around forever."
Janielle Fermaint, 24, a Battery Park City resident who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, said she was glad to learn more about what goes into a meal.
"I like the fact that we're able to do it," she said.
The Downtown Community Center donated their teaching kitchen for the eight-week program, which has eight students and is funded by a $500 grant from Job Path. After the money runs out, the class won't be able to continue without additional grants or donations.
"We could use any help we can get," Fermaint said.
