Culinary arts students at home on the range

By Janet Hefler - October 12, 2006

When culinary arts students from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) come home and ask "What's for dinner?" their parents are likely to answer, "Whatever you're cooking." This semester, whether for fun or a future career, about 70 students will learn how to slice, dice, sauté and purée under the guidance of chef/instructor Jack O'Malley.

Class size is kept to about 12. Students are a mix of males and females, grades and talents, Mr. O'Malley said. "The interest in culinary arts is huge," he marveled. "The palates on the Island are just wonderful."

He said he finds many of his students have traveled the world and already experienced a variety of cuisines. "I'll say, today we're going to make a little French apple tart, and somebody will say, 'Oh, you mean, a tarte tatin? I remember trying one when I was in France....'"

Mr. O'Malley rotates years one and two of the curriculum so it will not be repeated in consecutive years for students who might be going through the program on a different schedule. The textbook is covered over two years. A skills curriculum is taught on a weekly rotational basis, such as entrées one week, starches and vegetables the next, and so on.

There is also the dreaded dish station, where everyone takes a turn at the cleanup and dishwashing detail. Students are graded daily on production, employability skills, uniform and personal hygiene, and observation of safety rules.

Now in his third year as the director of the MVRHS culinary arts program, Mr. O'Malley was joined this year by a new half-time culinary arts teacher, Antonio Saccoccia, the owner of the Grill in Edgartown and former owner of the Feast of Chilmark.

What's cookin'?

At the 12:35 pm Friday class a few weeks ago, the students, all sophomores, first watched a video about cooking techniques before heading to the commercial-sized kitchen. Donning their white coats, they went right to their workstations, plunging into their tasks for the day with enthusiasm.

Tim Parker, a junior, helped out as the teacher's assistant, aiding Daryl Kaeka Jr. as he made some spaetzle, a German pasta, from scratch. Kyle Mercaldo mastered the art of deveining shrimp for the first time while Doug Asselin and Andrew McHugh diced carrots into uniformly perfect cubes.

A few of the students already have some restaurant experience. Jerome Pikor, who said he has always loved to cook, worked as a prep cook at the Right Fork Diner in Katama over the summer. Tad Gold worked at the Lambert's Cove Inn. He said he is considering a culinary arts career, and not surprisingly, his favorite television channel is the Food Network.

At another workstation, Kelly McCarron, Theresa DiMattia, and Cayla Morris mixed up chocolate chip scones. Cayla said her Mom already has been asking her, "What did you learn to cook today? Can you cook dinner for me?" Peter Ferrini, cheerfully handling dish duty, said he has made dinner for his parents, and hopes to work up to making dinner for them once a week instead of once a month.

At the end of the class, samples of grilled brined shrimp, sautéed carrots, and fresh-cooked spaetzle provided a four-star reward for a hungry Times reporter who had missed lunch.

The main ingredients

To enter the culinary arts program, students must take a vocational exploratory program their freshman year, rotating through each of the "shops," culinary arts, auto tech, horticulture, child care, and building trades. After taking three classes in each shop, they choose one to concentrate on for the rest of the semester.

As sophomores, students can choose any of the programs as a single-period class, a double period, or as a major which is three hours every day. Some students continue to take their core subjects, and choose a vocational shop instead of having study halls and taking other electives. "The culinary arts program has just been exploding," said vocational education director Jeff Rothwell. "We actually have turned away students who want to get into the program, because there is physically just not enough space."

Adding to the program's attractiveness is the fact it is now one of only 91 high school programs across the country to be certified by the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC), as of July. The certification validates that the MVRHS program offers quality education and meets or exceeds high standards for culinary arts.

"Students can gain certifications in the field right from the high school here, from a nationally recognized culinary organization," Mr. Rothwell said. "It's one of those things where if they're going for a job, they can show something concrete that says they're certified. It can open doors. Out here on the Island, they can always find work, but it's more for when they go off the Island and there is more competition for jobs."

Students who are very interested in making a career in the food industry often work in Vineyard restaurants during the summer and throughout the school year, Mr. O'Malley said. "A lot of culinary colleges will send their students for 'externships' at Island restaurants that these high school kids can work in, which is pretty amazing," he pointed out.

With employment in the food industry readily available, Mr. Rothwell said, "We encourage our students to try to work in the best place that they can to learn the top end of the business. On the Island, there are so many outstanding restaurants that the experience they can get here is a lot better than most rural towns."

In talking to his students about culinary arts careers, Mr. O'Malley said he tells them it is not just about being a chef or a manager. "There are also food chemists, food photographers, food stylists, food writers," he pointed out. "We focus mostly on hands-on areas, but there also are avenues for other creative people."

Catering to the community

To polish their food preparation and catering skills, the MVRHS culinary arts students operate the "Back Door Bistro" in the department's own dining room. Once a week on Friday, teachers may come in and order items off the menu "to go."

Students also cook and bake for functions in and out of the high school. They prepare pastries and coffee for Back to School Night and the Breakfasts with the Principal, and bake Christmas cookies for the Tisbury Business Association, pies for the Harvest Fair and for the holidays, and specialty cakes. They also make lunch for seniors and a women's bridge club.

"We're looking for ways to bring our students' skills out into the community, so they can see what we're doing here," said Mr. Rothwell. Because the program has so many students, he said they are trying to add experiences that will be rewarding for the students, to show them they can be successful handling functions they would work in the food service industry.

"If businesses are looking for a place to have a luncheon meeting, we hope they will call us," Mr. Rothwell said. "We may be doing take-home meals for families. The kids are coming up with a lot of ideas themselves. We're going to be opening a school store here where the culinary arts students are going to produce products they can sell."

Anyone who is interested in utilizing the culinary arts students' talents should call Mr. O'Malley at 508-693-1033, ext. 135 or e-mail him at Jack_O'Malley@fc.mv.k12 .ma.us