Voilà: Midtown Supper Club honored

A local youth program teaching children culinary skills was recognized with an award of excellence. SANDUSKY — A local youth program teaching children culinary skills just won the equivalent of a Michelin Star at a recent event. Tondra Frisby, Sandusky Recreation's youth program supervisor, and the Midtown Supper Club project, which she founded and oversees, received recognition at the 2025 Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Awards of Excellence celebration. It occurred on Tuesday at the Sandusky-area Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Like a recipe, here's a step-by-step guide as to what occurred: • The Ohio Parks and Recreation Association serves as a nonprofit public interest organization that represents those who provide quality park and recreational facilities and opportunities across the state while protecting and preserving natural resources, according to the association's website. • Last week, members representing the association and those from parks and recreation departments across Ohio gathered at Kalahari for this annual event. Organizations from across Ohio obtained various honors for their dedication to parks and recreation. • More specifically, Midtown Supper Club's seventh season, titled Around the World, took home a prestigious trophy: a first-place victory in the association's recreation programs category. • An annual program, the seven-week Midtown Supper Club teaches children how to cook. Frisby collaborates with trained culinary professionals to act as mentors for class participants. Kids, however, cook everything. • And, just like in years past, Midtown Supper Club culminated by inviting guests for a dinner cooked by these young chefs-in-training. In 2025, catering to the Around the World theme, guests received passports and could circle the globe via a buffet-style dinner children prepared themselves with tastes coming from all seven continents. Among some menu offerings, for: — Antarctica, classic iceberge wedge salads — Asia, flavorful pho/ramen — North America, savory grilled/smoked rib tips — Australia, Aussie meat pie — Europe, lasanga — Africa, carmalized catfish — South America, dessert empanadas The event also showcased other talents on display by children, which included dances and decorations. It also occurred on Earth Day, April 22, and Erie MetroParks naturalist Mike Hensley and two naturalists-in-training gave a presentation about bald eagles. "I am overjoyed," Frisby said. "I'm beside myself. To be able to represent Sandusky Rec at a conference where all other parks and recreation departments in the state of Ohio are at, this is phenomenal." Frisby said she could not have received this honor alone. There are many working parts to the supper club program. Frisby recognized: • Chef Bruce Thompson from The Commons of Providence • Chef Byron McMorris from Ciao Bella Restaurant • Chef Benny Vito of Zuppaman • The Sandusky Rec staff • The kids • The community • Erie Metro Parks This marks the second time Midtown Supper Club received an award from the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association. Frisby said the program received the same first-place recognition for its 2019 program. What is Midtown Supper Club? Midtown Supper Club breaks down as an interest-based culinary and talent program working with local chefs to teach children how to work in a kitchen, according to Frisby. Through the program, students learn about foods and skills used by professionals to prepare them. The inspiration for the supper club came when Frisby came across a similar program. She heard of kids within a California juvenile detention center entering a culinary program, putting her own Sandusky-specific twist on it. "Running a youth program, having it be interest-based and having local professional chefs that were willing to spend six to eight weeks with kids — it's priceless," Frisby said. "It's more than just cooking: You get life skills, they learn to be social, and they learn math through the recipes." While planning themes for the program, Frisby said she waits for the universe to speak to her. Here's how Around the World theme came to be, as explained by Frisby: "It was the seventh season. So seven was the theme. There are seven continents on this planet, and we hold it on Earth Day, so it just made sense for it to be Around the World." Through the menu creation process, the kids learned about each country through a task of writing a report on each continent. Wild Wild menu The eighth season of Midtown Supper Club recently started up with many kids taking part in this year's program. This season boasts a Wild Wild West theme. With the help of McMorris and Thompson, children will prepare "finger-lickin barbecue and all the fixin's," Frisby said. "It will be all about cowboys, bulls, boots and buckles," Frisby said. This year's end-of-season dinner event takes place at 5:30 p.m. on March 10 at Sandusky Rec @ Mills, 1918 Mills St., Sandusky. Visitors can enjoy a night of western foods, including barbecue chicken, pulled pork, baked potato, beans, mac and cheese and more. Tickets are available now at cityofsandusky.com/msc. Individual tickets are $35, two for $65 or a table seating eight is $250. Proceeds from the dinner will support the Sandusky Recreation youth scholarship program.