ILS Academy 

(Independent Living Skills)

Offering 2 Options in the New Year

Cooking 101: Currently Full

Cooking 101 will focus on building independent living skills for ages 14 years and above.  Each session will cover different topics and skills. 

Our 7 week course is a cooking class where students will learn basic skills such as:  

• Kitchen safety
• Safe knife skills
• Cooking vocabulary
• Following a recipe
• Using a oven/stove
• Using a microwave
• Simple meal preparation

Courses will be a hands-on format, where students will work together in a kitchen to prepare a meal each week. Students will eat the meal at the end of the lesson!  

Class will meet at Club 21 on Tuesdays (4:30-6:30PM) on the following dates: January 13, 20, 27 and February 3, 10, 17, and 24th

Since this class is designed to promote independence, please drop off and return for pick up at 6:30. 

Cooking 102:

Cooking 102 is designed for chefs 16yrs. and older, who already have some kitchen experience and are ready to take their skills to the next level. They need to be able to demonstrate basic knife, stove, and oven safety skills in the kitchen.  

Each week will highlight a world cuisine, such as Italian, Thai, or Mexican, showing how. ingredients, techniques, and flavor profiles vary across cultures. Kitchen organization and safety are reinforced throughout the course, with reminders about cross-contamination, fire and oil safety, proper food storage, and clean-as-you-go habits. 

By the end of Cooking 102, students will be able to prepare balanced, flavorful dishes with growing independence- and a deeper appreciation for how food connects cultures around the world. 

Skills addressed:

• Kitchen safety/cleanliness
• Knife Skills
  • Chopping
  • Dicing
  • Slicing
• Stove and Oven Skills
  • Sauteing
  • Boiling
  • Simmering
  • Roasting
  • Grilling
• Flavor Building
  • Salt
  • Fat
  • Acid
  • Heat Sweet
• Following a Recipe
• Meal Preparation

Courses will be a hands-on format, where students will work together in a kitchen to prepare a meal each week. Students will eat the meal at the end of the lesson!  

Class will meet at Club 21 on Thursdays(4:30-6:30PM) on the following dates: January 15,22. 29 and February 5, 12, 19, & 26.

Since this class is designed to promote independence, please drop off and return for pick up at 6:30. 

Chef Shannon Ceniseroz

Chef Shannon Ceniseroz is a passionate culinary professional with over 15 years of hands-on experience in kitchens ranging from restaurants to intimate private dining. A proud graduate of San Diego Culinary Institute, she built a dynamic career grounded in classical techniques and a deep love for creative, approachable food.

After years of leading successful kitchens and mentoring young chefs, Chef Shannon has shifted focus to something even more rewarding: sharing the joy of cooking with kids and adults with Down syndrome.She believes in the power of food to build confidence, independence and joy.  Through engaging, hands-on cooking lessons tailored to each individual's abilities, she creates a fun inclusive environment where every student can develop not just culinary skills, but a sense of accomplishment and belonging.

Whether leading classes or designing adaptive culinary curricula, Chef Shannon believes food is a universal language, and through inclusive education, aims to make the kitchen a welcoming place for all.