Institute of Culinary Arts offered

Twenty six aspiring chefs — all of them high school students — are getting the opportunity to learn about the culinary arts from the ground up.

The Burton School District students cook for and run the Starlight Cafe’ — Burton Pathways Institute of Culinary Arts’ cafeteria/restaurant located inside Burton Pathways Charter High School.

The culinary arts institute opened in August and is preparing the young adults for possible careers as professional chefs.

“I really enjoy it. Before I couldn’t cook at all, now I’ve cooked for my family a couple of times,” said ninth grade student Alexa Mireles. “It’s a really good program. Last semester it was all about cleaning after lunch but this semester we’re doing more cooking and I get to prepare and serve the little [school’s preschool] kids. It’s a lot of fun.”

All of the work is hands-on, said Suzanne Hatwig, chef instructor and director of nutritional services for all of the schools in the Burton School District.

“The only time we have a formal class is if we have a minimum day,” Hatwig said from the culinary art’s professional kitchen. “Otherwise everything is taught in here.”

On Monday, several students diced, chopped, cooked, grilled, and prepared hamburgers and all the trimmings for the school’s students and staff, offering everything from breakfast yogurt parfaits, continental and hot breakfasts to a full lunch menu featuring Italian, Asian and Mexican meals and a daily salad bar option.

In addition to the cooking, the aspiring chefs — five periods of classes — learn everything from the importance of organizing their work and the mastering of all the food stations in the professional kitchen to dishwashing as they prepare for brunch and lunch services daily.

“We train them in all aspects of food preparation,” Hatwig said. “We offer entry-level and mid-level instruction for food services. I also have a skilled employee cooking and a helper at the site — along with the students. It’s important to me that they, the students, prepare the food for their fellow students.”

Once the students pass the entry level, they are presented with chef coats, with name and school logo, for the next level of culinary, Hatwig said.

“They are learning everything — grilling, cooking with moist heat and dry heat, and rotate through the prep stations. There are five mother sauces and the students have learned three of them,” Hatwig said. “They’ll have the fundamentals to walk in with a certificate to a restaurant after they’re done here.”

The students are also tested on food safety, sanitation and the storage and rotating of supplies.

Students in the class also prepare the daily “Twinkle” menus for the school’s preschool pathway program.

And it all began because Dr. Gary Mekeel, Burton School superintendent, had a desire to open a culinary pathway school similar to the one the previous school, La Sierra High School, had.

“They ran a restaurant but we can’t because we use commodities which are to be used only for students,” Hatwig said. “But we use a lot of the raw ingredients and buy the best, freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables and whole meats.”

The program also grows its own cooking herbs.

To prepare for the course, Hatwig said she enrolled in two courses at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

“These ladies work so well with the kids,” said school Principal Jan Mekeel of the instructors of the program. “They are compassionate and kind, understanding and patient. So impressive.”

High School junior Anthony Martinez said he too is impressed with the program and has enjoyed the class.

“It’s fun. I’ve been learning a lot,” Martinez said. “I don’t know yet if I’ll go into this field but it’s making me think about it.”