Taste test
School careers program offers taste of culinary industry
What’s cookin’?
The smell of lasagna sauce lingered in the culinary room of North Nova Education Centre as students grated cheese and prepared dough for biscuits.
After months of learning recipes and cooking techniques, students were preparing to give their families a taste test of the skills they’ve acquired since school started in September.
On the menu was lasagna, cheese biscuits, caesar salad and New York-style cheesecake.
“This is our second year for holding a family day which is a great opportunity for family members to come in and see first hand all of the work that students are putting into their schooling,” said teacher Rachael Kinch.
Over the last five years the career exploration program (CEP) at North Nova has incorporated the food studies course. In the class students learn to cook and get a taste of what working in the culinary industry would be like.
Over the course of the school year, they run an in-house business which caters to different groups in the school and the community, Kinch said.
When they enter, the students have a wide range of experience and backgrounds, but they learn to work as a team to make great food.
“To see how much they’ve improved over the course of the year is quite amazing,” Kinch said.
Emily Taylor and Elizabeth Ross both said they like cooking and eating their creations. Some of the food they’ve made includes: cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, turkey dinner and homemade apple pie.
“What I enjoy most is being able to work hands-on,” said Taylor Richardson. He said he learned a lot he didn’t know before.
Shaleigh Fennell said it was great to be able to work as a team. She said she enjoyed it so much that her attendance and grades improved.
Kinch said what she likes about the CEP is that students love coming to school.
“They get to work hands-on like this more classes out of a day than just sitting in a traditional classroom. They come to class eager and excited to learn. They learn things that are very useful outside the school.”
Teaching the class is also a treat she said because you can see the progress being made with each dish served more so than with regular testing in other classes.
The career exploration program itself has four shops including: culinary arts, automotive, building systems and retail.
As part of the program students get to take part in a fourweek co-op placement and work with an employer in the field they’re interested in.
For the culinary program students have worked at places like Jungle Jim’s, Café Italia, The Thistle and the Cross Roads Country Market Bakery.
While these students may not end up working in the field, Kinch believes they’ll be better off for having the experience.
“I hope that students gain life skills that they can adapt into their home life as well as a potential career,” she said.