Collin licked the spatula. Brianna licked the beater. Amanda wiped the bowl clean with her finger and then, of course, licked that, too.

The kids had just finished creating the first of four menu items — Liz Perry’s EZ Lime Icebox Pie — in a cooking class at Simply Impressive Cooking School in Mesa, and were sampling the fruits of their labors.

Five girls and one boy, aprons donned, assembled around the counter with their teacher, Judy Toth, to next tackle chicken-and-bean enchiladas as part of a new class designed just for their special needs.

The idea to cater a cooking lesson to teenagers with a range of mental and developmental disabilities came about when Karen Gilbert started taking classes with Toth to improve her own skills.

She thought her daughter, Jordan Harter, 13, who has Down syndrome could benefit from learning some of the same cooking skills and suggested Toth visit her class at Mesquite Junior High School in Gilbert to teach the half-dozen students in her class.

That day, Jordan learned to make stuffed French toast, and her mom said she couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.

“Those kids were so happy that they could do something all by themselves,” she said. “Now, cooking is this nice daily thing that we can do together.”

Gilbert said learning life and social skills are important for Jordan, and in the summertime when school is out, she’s always looking for opportunities for her daughter to continue working on those skills.

“Coordination, for example, is really important, so the mixing is a good thing for her to practice,” she said.

Toth thought about her experience with that class and decided to teach a separate session for kids with special needs at her cooking school. She said using her knack for cooking and teaching to enhance the skills of this group of students is “one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”

“Each of these kids needs to work toward some bit of self-sufficiency as they grow older,” she said.

“They may not be totally self-sufficient as adults, but it is my hope that doing these classes will impact their ability to take care of themselves as adults.”

Toth said adapting her typical teaching style was tough, though.

Most of the students have never used a can opener, for example, or recognize the importance of washing their hands before handling food.

“I wrote the materials so that they made sense to mentally challenged kids and I went through the entire class in my mind several times before we even started,” she said. “I thought about how we could do things safely, efficiently and how I might have to deal with mini-disasters while still assuring the kids gained self-esteem.”

She said she also had to plan a menu that didn’t include the use of knives, fire or other hazards.

As the students encouraged each other throughout the lessons with remarks like “use your muscles” and “come on, you can do it,” Toth and the parents attending the class agreed that it was having the effects they had hoped for.

Kathy Reed enrolled her son, Collin, 14, in the class because he enjoys cooking, and eating, and she thought it would be a fun and useful way to spend an afternoon.

Collin has a mild developmental disability and cooking is helpful to him because he is learning the same coordination skills Gilbert referenced and also learning to use basic tools in the kitchen so he can take care of himself on some levels.

“These are great skills for him to have,” Kathy Reed said. “These are great skills for all kids to have.”

Toth said she’s planning another class in July. For information, contact her at (480) 654-1981.