Indiana Daily Student: 'Learning to Trust Himself:' Cook with Autism Works Toward Independence

Joe Banchik wasn’t supposed to have adventurous taste.

On a recent afternoon, he swayed side to side, stooped over a white cutting board and chopping basil. Although Banchik has cooked ostrich, he had never made minestrone. “I like to open myself up,” he said.

The people he is cooking for aren’t nearly as daring. Banchik knows his creations will stretch their palates. Banchik is 25 and on the autism spectrum. He moved from Long Island, New York eight years ago to join College Internship Program Bloomington, a center on North College Avenue to help young adults with autism, attention deficit  hyperactivity disorder and other learning differences achieve independence.