by Trillium Swanson

Funhouse Commons

Caitlin Leck and fourth-grader Piper Shaepe have been a part of the Funhouse Mentor Program since 2016.

This September, Caitlin sat down with Piper to hear her perspective on what it’s been like to hang out together so far. This is what Piper shared:

“We started pretty much just talking and hanging out and making plans. Then we started cooking. First, we made Annie’s mac n’ cheese. I perfected the cheese sauce. Once we got that down, we upped our game and made baked mac n’ cheese with bread crumbs, peas and extra cheese. Then we started to make food art, aka gourmet dessert, aka fruit platter mosaics.

“I think one of the main things we like to cook, and our favorite is ‘New York Times Mac n’ Cheese.’ This recipe came from my family’s recipe collection, our favorite cookbook that we use every day, especially birthdays. Caitlin and I made the mac n’ cheese totally from scratch and it came out delicious!

“One of the next things we want to do is harvest apples from Caitlin’s friend’s orchard. Then we can make apple brownies, without too much sugar! (There’s no chocolate in these brownies). We are also going to practice canning applesauce.

“I would say that if you don’t have a mentor, I would recommend a mentor! Then you have someone to hang out with on your own time who has the same interests as you. Thank you, or danke schön, if you’re German.”

As part of The Funhouse Mentor Program, Piper and Caitlin meet up about once a week and do a variety of activities together. Over the past year and a half, they have found a common love of cooking, and spend many of their weekly meet-ups perfecting recipes and sharing meals.

If you would like to learn more or get involved with The Funhouse Mentor Program, visit https://www.funhousecommons.org/mentor/ or contact Mentor Program Coordinator Trillium Swanson at trillium@thefunhouse.org, or 360-376-7177.