Tenerife School’s ‘Minichef’ Program Celebrates Canary Islands Culinary Heritage
Tenerife’s Los Verodes school is celebrating Canary Islands Day with its third annual "Minichef" program, where nearly 200 students learn to prepare traditional and modern local cuisine under the guidance of professional chefs.
Gastronomic education in the Canary Islands has found an unlikely home at Los Verodes school in Tenerife. As reported by El Día, the school’s "Minichef" program has become a highlight of the academic year, offering students an immersive dive into the archipelago’s culinary culture. Now in its third year, the initiative transforms the school into a traditional "guachinche" to celebrate the upcoming Canary Islands Day.
Led by chef Samuel Hernández of the Zoco group, the project aims to make cooking a fun, sensory experience rather than a chore. The event is impressive in scale, involving nearly 200 students—from toddlers to sixth graders—who prepare everything from local staples like potatoes with mojo and gofio pellas to modern dishes like sushi, pork leg brioche, and burgers with red mojo mayonnaise.
This year’s edition is particularly notable for including the school’s youngest students, some as young as one year old. These children learn under the guidance of industry professionals, including Yeray Abalde of the Sorimba restaurant and Desiré Adán Trujillo of Catering Mi Favorita, who help bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional hospitality world.
Beyond its educational goals, the project serves a social purpose. Principal Carmen Trujillo explains that donations from families who sample the students' creations go toward funding the sixth-grade end-of-year trip, helping to support students in need. The event wraps up with a panel of experts and teachers judging the dishes and awarding prizes. Thanks to the generous support of local sponsors who provide the ingredients, this unique program continues to help Tenerife’s students explore and celebrate their local food heritage.