~Mrs. Rad

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I have taken Culinary Arts for four years. After spending one year one Culinary Applications my freshman year, two years going over the curriculum and my final year as an Advanced Culinary student, I can safely say that I have seen it all in the Corbett kitchen! This is my compilation of thoughts and ideas of this amazing program.

I have taken Culinary Arts for four years because what started as a curious attraction to the kitchen turned into a love of an art. The first year I took Culinary Arts was my freshman year, I was one of the “lucky” kids because only a few freshman had the opportunity to be where I was. I enjoyed my first year, but the next year I asked if I could be put in a class period where I could cook and go over the curriculum. From then on my interest in Culinary grew and grew and grew into a necessity for the freedom and creativity that the kitchen offered. The whole class that sophomore year was fresh as well. A new teacher and a new curriculum were introduced to Corbett. It was going to be a grand year, I could tell. The next two years were filled with quality knowledge, experiences and memories, all of which has made my perspective of the program what it is today. Culinary has now become my freedom from all other things, my light in the dark. It gives me a break when I need it and delight when I want it. This delight I take in the class is why I have taken it for three years and now a fourth.

The Advanced Culinary class has definitely met expectations. At first I thought I was going to have to go over the curriculum for a third year; when I found out that I wasn’t, I was excited. No more Culinary tests and worksheets. I would have a whole year to cook, create, and do labs… it was going to be great! And so far it has been great. I love the freedom we have when we are doing projects, whether it is a independent activity or an assignment to cook deserts for the board meetings. Both give equal opportunity for freedom of expression, compassion, and creativity. Any class with those opportunities definitely exceeds my expectations for a high school class.

This year I have also been given the chance to do my own independent projects. One of these projects was to cook a gourmet dish. I chose the recipe from my Tillamook Cookbook and the reason I chose it was because it was my girlfriend’s birthday and Macaroni & Cheese is one of her favorite dishes. The macaroni dish I made was Simply Italian Macaroni. It was the best thing that I’ve ever made and also one of the most challenging. It was also the most fun to make. It took just over an hour to make and it was simply delicious. I brought all the ingredients from home and was provided with the whole period to work on my project. This dish is the one I will probably always be the most proud of. I took a leap of faith and tried a new recipe and it went unimaginably well. I hope that I will be able to do many more projects like my Macaroni & Cheese dish during the remainder of the year.

The Macaroni dish that I made for my independent project helped me realize and set a goal for myself. This goal is one I hope will help me with life skills; to be able to jump into a situation that is foreign and be able to remain calm and prevail. While making the Macaroni dish I was thrown into this situation. I lacked confidence in my ability to cook and was hoping that I would not mess it up. I almost always get this nervous when cooking and hope that one day this will change. I believe that Advanced Culinary will help me achieve this goal and better prepare me for life’s challenges.

Culinary Arts has had a huge impact on my life and has helped me get through high school. Without this Culinary program, I have no idea where I would be. So I want to say thank you to all of those people who have made this program possible. It means the world to me. Thank you so much!

The first assignment they were assigned to was individually making dessert for the monthly board meeting. Logan was up first. Throughout the past two weeks, he had to submit three recipes, order needed supplies, prepare the recipe (over a three-day span) and display the dessert item in an appealing manner. I’m happy to report the first attempt at this new project was a success! Great job Logan! If anyone plans to attend a board meeting in the future, keep your eyes peeled for another delicious dessert item from an Advanced Culinary student!

Logan proudly displaying his creation.

It’s just another way Corbett sets itself apart and dares to be different.

Culinary students serving lunch to the middle school.

At Corbett we have 50 students enrolled in the culinary program.  They each spend an hour in the kitchen everyday helping in the meticulous process of making school snack and lunch. They wear many hats – whether it be preparing, cooking, serving, cleaning, organizing or stocking food. The menu rotation consists of over 30 different main courses and, with the help of Erika Pace (food service manager) and myself (culinary arts teacher), the students make and serve over 500 meals a day. On top of all this, culinary students learn 16 units of classroom material – ranging from Safety & Sanitation to Foodservice Regulations to Pies & Pastries. They take comprehensive exams, obtain Food Handler Permits, complete take-home lab work and do independent study projects. Needless to say, culinary students are busy!

Demonstrating how food connects to the pH scale.

I’ve always felt as though there were two parts to my program. There is the part everyone sees – the lunch they are served each day (consisting of a full salad bar, three main dish options and two sides). Then there is the part that is rarely seen – the innumerable little things that go into running a food service operation. These create the behind-the-scenes breakthroughs and achievements that my students probably think I don’t even notice.  Those are the special moments when I witness these amazing kids gaining life-skills and subsequent confidence in who they are becoming as young adults.

These moments can occur at anytime. They can happen when a student works hard to complete a complicated recipe and then takes pride when serving it to their peers.  When a student realizes there is only two minutes of class-time left, and works extra hard to break down more than twenty boxes for recycling because they now understand this is an essential step in the foodservice process. It can also occur when I watch a student become extremely proud because they just broke their own record of washing 250 dishes in less than 45 minutes. One of my favorite moments, however, comes when a student accidentally messes up a recipe (it happens to all of us!) and stays late to redo the entire dish because they know exactly who is going to be enjoying that same food later in the day.

Whatever the situation, it is very apparent that Culinary Arts teaches essential life-skills. It also provides students with a chance to work in a demanding, hands-on, interactive environment. They must learn quickly and act fast.  The results have been extremely positive and truly a joy to watch.  I honestly cannot count how many times a student of mine has made dinner for their family (usually for the first time) and explained to me how they utilized their newly found skills to impress the ones they love. The satisfaction is written all over their face, and accurately reflects why this program is so special and unique.

Frozen food set on timers all day? Not at Corbett. We do things a little differently around here.

A delicious time of year!

It’s only been 6 weeks since we started school and the Corbett kitchen is already running at full speed ahead! The 50 students who make up the culinary program this year have really jumped in and are working hard everyday to ensure the students and staff enjoy a wholesome and delicious meal. Whether it’s homemade pizza, cookies or risotto, the students of Culinary Arts are excited to work in a hands-on, fast-paced learning environment where they are rewarded each day with the tangible outcome of a delicious food product. I am so proud of my students and the life skills they are acquiring through this program. Look for a featured article about Culinary Arts coming up later this month!

So what does the Culinary program at Corbett look like? How do we get everything done on time? Do the students really make school lunch? I’m glad you asked. The Culinary program is comprised of over 50 students during 5 periods (about 10 students a class) and each period is unique in their roll of completing the cooking process. Students enter class, sign up for their daily job on the task board and then take their seat for the classroom portion of the course. During this time (usually the first 10-20 minutes of class) students will learn 16 units of study ranging from Safety & Sanitation to Fruits & Vegetables to Pies & Pastries. Many units include hands-on labs and all of them culminate with a test. Then, it’s on to the kitchen! Students wash up, don an apron and get to WORK! Jobs vary by period (prep work, serving snack, dishes, cooking food, cleaning, etc.). By the end of the day, we will have served hundreds of meals to hundreds of students, cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom and started to prepare food for the next day.

Needless to say – there’s never a dull moment in our kitchen! The most rewarding part for me? Watching students create meals and then turn around and serve them to their peers. There’s a sense of pride invoked from within and the smile on their faces speaks for themselves. This program is extremely unique and, even better, it’s effective and successful in what it aims to do; serve delicious and creative meals to the district by the students, for the students.

Stop in and say hi! And here’s to a great year!

~Mrs. Radulesk