Girl Scout Troop 42203 explores global cuisine during overnight at Ryan’s Hangar

Girl Scout Troop 42203 recently embarked on a unique overnight experience at Ryan’s Hangar, where they combined hands-on learning with culinary creativity while working toward their Cadette New Cuisines badge.
The New Cuisines badge, part of the Cadette Life Skills program for grades 6–8, challenges scouts to explore food from different cultures, regions, and time periods. Throughout their overnight stay, the troop prepared a variety of dishes that took their taste buds on a journey across both geography and history.
The experience began Friday evening with a focus on regional American cuisine. The girls prepared Tex-Mex nachos, complete with homemade tortilla chips, beans, cheese, and jalapeños. As part of the lesson, they learned that nachos were originally created by nurses as a quick meal for soldiers. To enhance their dish, the troop also made fresh pico de gallo and guacamole from scratch.
On Saturday, the scouts explored multiple culinary challenges. They recreated a favorite processed snack by making homemade baked potato chips, gaining a better understanding of ingredients and food preparation.
The group also expanded their international cooking skills by preparing Turkish börek, a traditional pastry. Since authentic Turkish yufka dough was required, the girls took on the added challenge of making the dough from scratch before assembling their dish.
To complete their culinary tour, the troop traveled back in time by baking Regency-era rout cakes. This historical recipe introduced unique ingredients such as caster sugar, orange flower water, and rose water, giving the scouts a taste of flavors from the past.
Troop members Quinn Pell, Layne Hofer, Kolee Dant, and Evaline Gronewold participated in the overnight. In addition to cooking, the girls had the opportunity to tour the kitchen at Ryan’s Hangar, where they prepared all of their dishes.
By the end of the experience, the scouts had successfully completed the requirements for their New Cuisines badge and gained valuable skills in cooking, teamwork, and cultural exploration.