A teenager with autism is cooking his way through challenges
Chop, cut, bake, grill clean for 17 year old Drew Blaine. Cooking helps him cope with his challenges. Life dream? Yeah, I like cooking. And why do you like cooking? Well, I like, I like eating like, like I thought, feeding people. And overall it just like having something to make. Living with autism disorder and having a challenging home life, Blaine discovered his purpose and passion for cooking. He works at Marymount, a youth and family social services organization, as part of the Student Work Education Experience Program, or SWEEP. Vegetables, bake, cookies, bake, anything. Usually the lunch will be on there, so you make that. Blaine recalls this difficult past while growing up, my parents being, well, drug addicts. To put it as simply as that, so it was like early life with my mom unhappy. My grandma was happy and went back to my mom. Unhappy, went back to my grandma unhappy up until like 12, went back to my mom. I think at least 14 or something was unhappy until. Ever again. Another year. Blaine has been working at the Marymount Kitchen for two years, since Grade 10. He comes here twice a week in morning shifts and juggles between school and cooking. Here, through the help of his mentors, he’s learning all the preparatory skills required to be a chef. I’m very eager to learn, very excited to be here. And from day one he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to go to culinary school and nothing was going to stop him whatsoever, which was so wonderful. His passion was there, definitely been great. It’s changing my life in many ways. Through the Marymount scholarship and help of his teachers at Pathways, Blaine got into Red River College for the Indigenous Culinary Course. Again, you can honestly say. Without pathways, I would not have gotten anywhere near this. Sabina Ahmed, CBC News, Winnipeg.