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QIKIQTARJUAQ - Some lucky families in Qikiqtarjuaq are eating well thanks to their children.

A group of students at Qikiqtarjuaq's Inuksuit School have been learning cooking and several other food-related skills and are now capable of preparing healthy meals on their own.

Inuksuit School principal Ian Gordon has been teaching Qikiqtarjuaq kids the nuts and bolts of healthy eating and cooking.

"I go out and make barbecue with my dad," said Joy Audlakiak.

Audlakiak has also cooked grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni, rice and chicken for her family.

Another student, Jenny Mosesie, said she has prepared barbecued chicken, corn, rice and salad.

Karen Kooneeliusie made hamburger patties from scratch for her mother. All three students are in Grade 5.

The group ranges in size from five to nine students, all aged between 11 and 17 years old. After each weekly two-to-three hour session the food is shared with any school staff who are working late. The plentiful leftovers are taken home to the students' families.

The students also shop for the ingredients, which teaches them to be aware of what goes into their foods. Inuksuit School principal Ian Gordon, the instructor of the group, said the students have learned to identify what foods are bruised, rotten or expired, always a concern in the stores of the North.

Cooking from basic ingredients is both healthier and less expensive than eating pre-packaged frozen meals, Gordon said. He limits the club to cooking foods for which they can get the ingredients from the local Northern store.

The students have also developed an interest in international foods. For example Audaliak likes making quesadillas and lasagna and Kooneeliusie enjoys Caesar salads.

"The biggest thing for me is seeing the kids really enjoy being around food and exposing them to different foods. In the beginning the thought of them eating vegetables ... they didn't want to go near them," laughed Gordon.

Now he reports the students are comfortable with foods like peppers, mushrooms and ricotta cheese.

Other foods the group has prepared include French onion soup, potatoes au gratin, stir fries and desserts such as blueberry cobbler and apple crisp. Gordon said he was proud of how confident the students have become in the school kitchen, adding seasoning and spices to the food by taste, without measuring.