Back in March, chef Michelle Bernstein and a group of volunteers (me among them) set out to teach 16 youngsters from North Miami's William Jennings Bryan Elementary School how to cook. Over the next 10 weeks, as they rolled out waves of fresh pasta and got their first blasts of wasabi, they taught us that life is delicious.

Many of the students, ages 9 to 13, had never cooked before their encounter with Common Threads, a national nonprofit program dedicated to teaching ''the importance of nutrition and physical well-being'' and fostering ''an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking,'' as its website puts it.

Bernstein, the award-winning chef/co-owner of Michy's and Señora Martinez, is a hands-on teacher. On Day One, the kids all donned chef hats and aprons, picked up knives and got to work, preparing grilled flank steak and sautéed corn.

''That was scary,'' recalls Catherine Gonzalez, 24, who, like most of the volunteers, was a student at Johnson and Wales University, where the weekly classes were held. ``I was amazed when the kids started using the knives and the stove.''

The youngsters learned about everything from table manners to tahini, all by making -- and eating -- food from a different country each week. It was a giddy global trip for all of us.

Bernstein says she ''fell in love'' with the program after cooking at fundraisers for Common Threads, which was started in Chicago six years ago by Oprah chef Art Smith.

Bringing it to Miami meant raising more than $50,000 (the Children's Trust and individual donors pitched in), vetting volunteers and securing kitchen space at Johnson and Wales (Bernstein's alma mater). Bryan Elementary, just six blocks away, was a natural partner.

''I couldn't think of anything better,'' Bernstein says. ``We need help with our kids. They need to learn to eat better.''

And that doesn't just mean more vegetables.

''Growing up in a Latin-Jewish home, every conversation we had, good or bad, was at the table, with food,'' the chef says. ``All I want is for kids to eat at home, with family and friends.''

Bernstein and her assistant, Melissa Cala, found they needed to adapt Common Threads' curriculum for Miami.

''We're so different culturally,'' says the chef. For example, ``everything has to be spicier.''

''I like spicy food,'' says Anedriana Franck, 11.

All the Miami Common Threads kids did. On India Day, there were no leftovers from their cauliflower with ginger, coriander and jalapeño peppers. (''It's like popcorn!'' fifth grader Roudy Francois said of the golden florets.)

On Jamaica Day, they eagerly tucked into habanero-spiked callaloo, a Caribbean leafy green most had never seen before.

Each Monday after school, the kids made an entire meal -- usually an entree and two substantial side dishes -- in 90 minutes.

''You just want them to soak it all up really quickly,'' Bernstein says.

The amazing thing is, they did. Wary of tofu by itself, they happily ate it when mixed with fresh vegetables, cilantro and mint in Thai spring rolls. The following week, on Italy Day, fifth grader Staphon Sawyer, dicing fresh mozzarella, made the connection. ``It's soft and white like tofu.''

''We were lucky to get these kids,'' said Cala. ``They're very attentive, very open-minded.''

Though the cuisine they prepared was often unfamiliar, the students never uttered the N word (``nasty''). On Turkey Day (the country, not the bird), 11-year-old Yvon St. Louis, who had never tasted a chickpea, became a convert.

Bernstein and Cala are working to increase the number of schools and classes next year, including advanced sessions for our beloved bunch from William Jennings Bryan.

''I wish I could bring them home. I'm really starting to fall for them,'' says Bernstein. ``The challenge is, are they really going to take this with them?''

According to the Common Threads website (www.commonthreads.org), 96 percent of participating students show an interest in healthier food.

That's a nice statistic, but not as nice as seeing the kids wrap up food they made to take home for their parents to taste, hearing that Roudy has been doing some of the cooking at home or learning that 11-year-old Judie Simon taught her mom to make tabbouleh.

And then there was the ease and attitude of fifth-grader Sheila Barthelus as she diced vegetables last week on Pizza Day, no longer so impressed by Domino's.

''You can make pizza pretty quick,'' she said, biting into the heart-shaped pie she had made from start to finish.

Ellen Kanner is The Miami Herald's Edgy Veggie columnist.

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