Pitman High’s well-done Culinary Arts Program

Turlock USD program teaches professional and personal skills

The Culinary Arts Program at Turlock Unified School District’s John H. Pitman High School has found the recipe for success when it comes to preparing students for potential careers, while also building their personal skills.

According to Principal Angela Freeman and culinary arts instructor Mohini Singh, the program began when the campus opened in 2002, but transitioned to a “true industry style” career technical education (CTE) curriculum in 2018.

“Cooking comes from the heart. It inspires students, it brings smiles of joy in the classroom,” Singh said. “The goal of the program is to teach students the skills necessary for employment while making them feel a sense of confidence and belonging in the kitchen that they can take and share with their loved ones.”

Students learn job application and interviewing skills, customer service and professional standards, and food safety and sanitation. They also learn how to identify commercial kitchen equipment and their functions, and the techniques and procedures needed to successfully execute a recipe such as advanced knife skills. Additional skill-building includes preparing meat, poultry and fish; baking; plating and garnishing food; and the duties of various food service positions. The high schoolers may also create a cooking show as an element of the program.

Singh noted that nutrition education, developed to reflect the requirements of the state’s CTE standards, is incorporated.

“It is important to teach aspiring chefs and cooks how to understand the nutritional value of ingredients, create balanced meals and adapt recipes to cater to dietary needs, promoting healthier food choices for customers while still maintaining taste and culinary appeal,” Singh explained.

Location, location, location

These abilities are acquired in an industry-standard classroom, completed in January 2020, that was funded via Measure O (passed by area voters in 2016) and state Career Technical Education Incentive Grant dollars. The facilities are sustained through funding sources including federal Perkins monies intended to bolster CTE.

Located in Stanislaus County, the Golden Bell Award-winning program draws upon local agricultural resources and participates in the economy.

The district has its own farm that students harvest, and the program has a garden that yields ingredients like herbs. Through partnerships with businesses such as Burrough Family Farms, where students visit on field trips, the program receives donations of organic eggs and milk. Other goods are purchased as needed.

“Spending money on locally produced food directly supports local farmers and businesses, contributing to the community’s economic growth,” Principal Freeman said. “Learning about local food production and our local farmers fosters connections between what they are eating and where it is grown, encouraging community involvement in food systems.”

Relationships with local bakery Olde Tyme Pastries, grocery store Village Fresh Market and restaurants Bistro 234, First & Main, Crust & Crumb and La Mo provide program leaders with feedback on in-demand skills and industry needs and offer internship opportunities (the program also has an advisory committee).

“During the school year, students spend two months doing internships,” Singh said. “Upon completion, students are offered a job. We have a 100 percent success rate. If the student is placed in an internship and they demonstrate a strong work ethic, they are always offered a job.”

The internships have proven to be life-changing for some. Singh recalled one young man, known as a troublemaker, who got involved with the Culinary Arts Program during his senior year. He developed a passion for cooking and won multiple local competitions that year before securing an internship with the owner of Bistro 234 and First & Main, which later earned him a spot as head sous chef. Today, he runs both establishments.

Community support

Freeman and Singh say the program receives “tremendous support” from the school board, administrators and parents due in part to its marketing. The program’s Instagram account (@pitman_chefs) highlights students’ creations and adventures.

Students also showcase their skills to trustees throughout the year by attending board meetings and through site visits. Board President Anthony Silva said the governance team always look forward to the “fantastic” fare students serve and praised the stellar reputation that the program and its participants have in the community.

Silva, who taught agriculture sciences for almost four decades, said CTE is invaluable for high schoolers and conveyed the importance of maintaining funding for such programs.

The district is planning to expand a similar program at Turlock High School and is in the process of building an industry-standard classroom at the campus, Singh said.