Disclaimer: The author of this article is a member of the Culinary Arts program.
Separated from the main building, and located amidst health classrooms and gymnasiums, the Culinary Arts kitchen connects students from a variety of backgrounds through a common interest: a love for cooking.
The looser structure of the Culinary Arts program contrasts the rigidity of traditional academic classes. “It’s not a race to get something turned in, it’s [about] actually enjoying creating a product that people are [going to] enjoy with you,” says Steve O’Neill, a Culinary Arts teacher at Franklin. His classes encourage students to enjoy the material through hands-on learning while creating a sense of fulfillment as students see progression over time. “One of my favorite memories [was] when we won the culinary challenge because it was something we had been striving for,” comments Carter Wells, a current fourth year Culinary Arts student. There are four different courses within the program, from Culinary Arts 1-2 to 7-8, with forecasting demand for 1-2 limiting it to mainly freshmen and sophomores.
The classes are divided into groups of four to five people that collaborate on various cooking projects, and the groups occasionally compete with each other in “challenges.” Most prevalent in Culinary Arts 3-4, the challenges give students some creative freedom within the constraints of the given theme. They are responsible for budgeting and purchasing ingredients using just $10, in order to create their own affordable yet exquisite dish to be presented to the guest judge. Logan Markwell, a current fourth year Culinary Arts student, says, “I’ve learned how to price out an item and how to budget because we have very low and specific budgets for challenges.” Although not all students intend on going into the culinary field, the challenges provide a relatively simple approach to budgeting, a skill that is essential for adulthood.
For those who do choose to pursue cooking as a career, the Culinary Arts program adequately prepares students for working with others in a high-stress environment. “Being in the Culinary Arts program definitely helped me secure my job because I already had basic kitchen knowledge that I could apply,” comments Megan Dutton, a pastry chef and graduate of the Franklin Culinary Arts program. Dutton began filling cannoli and making sandwiches at a farmer’s market stand during the summer, which transformed into a full-time job in a bakery after she graduated high school. O’Neill says that this isn’t rare. “We’ve put hundreds of kids into the industry just in the local area,” he explains. “It’s had a great positive impact on the community as far as putting out good quality employable people.”
Working in the kitchen serves as a platform for growing many skills that aren’t limited to cooking, such as collaboration and trust. “You kind of have to give up some control and responsibility when you’re working with others,” mentions Markwell.
Markwell explains this became particularly relevant when making ceviche with a guest chef. This Peruvian seafood dish marinated in citrus involves many different components, leaving each student responsible for an individual part and prompting them to trust each other. Sharing perspectives while respecting the needs of others also came up when “learn[ing] how to advocate for your own ideas without completely taking over and dominating the team environment,” says Dutton.
Cooking itself is an essential part of growing up and gaining independence. “I think everyone needs to know how to cook in some capacity beyond heating things up in a microwave,” notes Markwell. Culinary arts classes provide a straightforward and guided approach to cooking and using recipes. O’Neill mentions that even “the kids who take first year at least know it’s much cheaper and better for you to make your own food from scratch, and that cooking can be fun.”
The program plays a fundamental role in participating students’ high school experience, with skills such as organization being relevant in other classes. Wells found the concepts of mise en place, which refers to measuring and preparing ingredients and supplies, to be “really helpful when starting big or overwhelming projects to do a sort of mise en place with whatever materials or tabs I need to finish the project.”
The advanced Culinary classes run a few small businesses that serve Franklin students. The pretzel cart was started by the class of 2019 and paved the way for future businesses. Today, it sells warm salty pretzels for $2 during select tutorials, and can be found on Instagram @fhs.pretzel.cart. Beyond customer satisfaction, running the business also further educates students. “Not only was it fun but it taught me about quality control and how important it is to have a consistent product to sell,” says Dutton, a member of the 2019 graduating class. In addition, there are currently pizza and cookie businesses currently operating, and next year there are plans to team up with Atlas Pizza and 5 and Dime to work on the businesses.
One way the program gives students insight into the industry is by inviting guest chefs to come teach a class. Dutton returned to Franklin to guest teach because she “found it so interesting to learn from different chefs and hear a little about their story in the industry.” She guided students through a tiramisu recipe, involving preparing ladyfingers and a mascarpone cream. Difficulties with the thickness of the mascarpone cream prompted Dutton to recognize that “things will always go wrong, but being able to make a quick correction or change direction is so important not only in the food industry but also in life.” She hopes culinary arts will help students become more comfortable making mistakes and adjusting to new situations.
While the class as a whole prepares students for jobs in the industry or working with others, one central focus is having fun. “I just really enjoy being in the kitchen with people I enjoy spending time with and learning how to make new things,” says Markwell. The class fosters connections between like-minded students and encourages them to grow, both in and out of the kitchen.
