Culinary Arts Program Receives New Kitchen Equipment

Volume 38

Number 1

Winter 2007

By Lauren Merryman
Oklahoma Department of CareerTech

Yukon High School students are cooking gourmet meals in a new $100,000 commercial grade kitchen. $60,000 was donated by a partnership with industry while Yukon’s school board and administration put $40,000 into the remodeling and electricity for the new kitchen.

The commercial-grade kitchen equipment was donated by the commercial food industry to help CareerTech family and consumer science education students achieve the most from their education. These students are enrolled in the culinary arts pathway of hospitality and tourism courses at YHS.

Contributing companies include: Y.E.S. REPS., Rational USA, Combi Convection oven company, Lang-Star Manufacturing, Commercial and Marine Foodservice Equipment Solutions, Ben E. Keith, Sysco, Dexter Russell Professional Cutlery Services and many others.

“Donations are offered when students job shadow, or while working different functions during the course of the program,” said Louise Terry, YHS hospitality and culinary arts instructor. “When people see the student’s passion, they want to step up to the plate and help out,” Terry said.

Some of these equipment obtained include: $2,000 worth of restaurant quality dinnerware, four commercial mixers, a 30-quart Hobart mixer worth, a double convection oven, a flat top grill and two commercial-grade scales.

Although several of CareerTech’s technology centers in Oklahoma use ProStart curriculum, YHS is one of only few high schools in the state that have culinary courses built into their hospitality curriculum.

ProStart is designed to introduce juniors and seniors to careers in the food service industry. During classroom activities, internships and comprehensive exams, students have the chance to earn national certification. With the certification, students receive a $2,000 scholarship after graduation for further education.

Yukon "chefs" prepared and to served a holiday dinner

Yukon "chefs" prepared and served a holiday dinner to Department of Education employees.

YHS students spend many hours outside the classroom enhancing their skills. Whether working at banquets, cooking gourmet meals for their cafeteria or volunteering their time with different companies, they are constantly working on their techniques, Terry said.

Recently, the students catered Sandy Garrett’s annual holiday retirement reception for about 250 people.

Because the YHS kitchen wasn’t finished in time for this event, the culinary arts kitchen at Francis Tuttle in Oklahoma City was offered for the students to use to prepare for the event.

“The students planned and ordered the food, borrowed catering supplies from several businesses, then assembled and prepared the food in Francis Tuttle’s kitchen before heading to the State Capitol complex,” Terry said.

The YHS kitchen officially opened on Feb. 1. The students are planning to host an open house in April for the donors, parents and school administration to show off their culinary skills nurtured in the professional kitchen.

Yukon High School Culinary Arts students pose for a photograph

Yukon High School Culinary Arts students

“CareerTech culinary programs in technology centers and high schools have commercial equipment available to students, with training customized to fit the students’ needs,” Carolyn LeGrand said.

LeGrand is a family and consumer sciences education program specialist coordinating the hospitality and tourism career cluster at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

“CareerTech culinary instructors have industry experience,” LeGrand said. “The students work at their own pace with hands-on training that gives them a variety of opportunities to practice what they are learning.”

As an instructor, Terry believes in the win-win of partnerships involved in CareerTech training.

“If we give students a better quality of training, industry benefits because they get a better trained employee who is work ready when they graduate,” Terry said.

Photos by Bill Kramer
Communications/Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Valley Technology Center, El Reno campus