How many Tootsie Rolls does it take to make a Tootsie Pop? 

Students in culinary arts were on a roll with their project Wednesday as they constructed models of flowers, made entirely from Tootsie Rolls. 

The activity serves as a way for students to understand the basics of keeping clean hands in the kitchen before they begin cooking throughout the rest of the year. 

“They have to be sanitation certified before they can be able to work in the kitchen,” culinary arts teacher Lisa Frizzell said. “They can make this at their desk without being in the kitchen so it is easier. They also are tapping into culinary art skills in a way, by crafting a design using a food.”

Sophomore Ailie Plaks believes the project allowed students to tap into their creativity. 

“It was useful, but it was also fun,” Plaks said. “It’s not just a normal project, it almost felt like arts and crafts. I really think it was a good project to do since it combined both elements of culinary arts as well as sanitization, rather than just having two separate projects.”

After the final presentation of their design, students were able to snack on their creations. 

“This is my second year doing the project, and students always like eating them at the very end,” Frizzell said. “Some of them did really well and had fun with it, and others were more focused on eating theirs.”