Culinary Students Bring Smiles To Hospital's Kids

Jayden Gonzales two years old from Indio decorated his gingerbread house at the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital last year, where he was recovering from leukemia. Jayden was helped by his mom Jennifer and Culinary student Nina Mendoza. Jayden was one of more than 60 sick children who decorated gingerbread houses donated by International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Culinary students and volunteers from Big Hearts for Little Hearts will return to the hospital Monday, Dec. 1 to help the children staying there during this holiday season decorate their own gingerbread houses. The 2008 houses will be on display at the hospital through mid-January 2009. Photo by Carl Dameron

Two-and-a-half-year-old Jose from Fontana decorated his gingerbread house and ate candy and icing last year, where he was recovering from a life-threatening dog bite to his head. Jose was helped by his mom Alica Tapea and Culinary student Nina Mendoza. Jose was one of more than 60 sick children who decorated gingerbread houses donated by International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Culinary students and volunteers from Big Hearts for Little Hearts will return to the hospital Monday, Dec. 1 to help the children staying there during this holiday season decorate their own gingerbread houses. The 2008 houses will be on display at the hospital through mid-January 2009. Photo by Carl Dameron

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Seriously ill boys and girls at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital will have something to smile about this Christmas season as students from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire once again create a hundred gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate.

“Last year was our first time working with the culinary students,” notes Dottie Rice, a nine-year volunteer with the hospital’s guild, Big Hearts for Little Hearts. “Our children were just thrilled, and really look forward to such a fun project once again.”

On Monday, December 1, the students, headed by The Art Institute’s Culinary Director and Executive Chef Eyad Joseph, will meet at the Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, 11234 Anderson Street, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. There they will gather with the young patients to help the children decorate the 100 gingerbread houses for Christmas utilizing candy and frosting galore. The public is invited to stop by for a few minutes or even longer, to help the sick and terminally ill boys and girls.

The finished houses, as always, are then put on public display in the hospital lobby where they’ll be shown through the middle of January. Guild President Eloise Habeadst says that people come from all over the Inland Empire just to see what the culinary students and the young patients have come up with.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Nov. 13 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.