In the Kitchen with Warsaw Area Career Center
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Prior to this school year, the WACC Culinary Arts program was held at Whitko High School. The Warsaw Schools Food Service used to prepare meals for some Warsaw elementary schools in the WACC kitchen, according to Director Ronna Kawsky.
With the construction of the four new elementary schools, and those schools opening for the 2010-11 school year, the Career Center kitchen was no longer needed to make meals for any of the Warsaw elementary schools.
Warsaw Schools officials allowed the Culinary Arts program to use the kitchen, so the program was moved from Whitko to the WACC, Kawsky said. The kitchen is in the old freshman high school cafeteria.
“By moving the program to Warsaw, we are able to increase dual credit opportunities from two hours with Ivy Tech to a potential of 15,” Kawsky said.
This year, students can earn up to 9 to 12 hours of college credit. By next year, she said, a student will be able to earn 12 to 15 hours from Ivy Tech.
As the program grows, she said, one of the goals is to get a full restaurant running in the WACC.
“It is our goal that next year, students will run the front of the house and back of the house, and open the restaurant for a few hours a week to the public,” Kawsky said.
First, however, she said there is still a lot of planning and work to be done to make it happen.
Enrollment in the Culinary Arts has to increase, Kawsky said. Currently, there are 12 students in the program from Warsaw and Whitko. The class is a two-hour class. Next year, the goal is to have a three-hour class and for there to be two classes, one in the morning and one in the evening with overlap at lunch.
The plan is for the culinary artist, Chef Theresa Daggett, to be a full-time instructor.
Daggett, according to Kawsky, has studied abroad. She teaches at Ivy Tech and does some courses at Martin’s Supermarket. Daggett said she has been a certified chef for five years, and has been in the industry for more than 20 years. She has worked in the front of the house and back of the house.
Daggett said her goals are for the students to be able to walk into a culinary arts college and have a leg up on the other students because they already have credits. If they don’t go to a culinary school, Daggett said, she still wants them to go into a restaurant for a job and have the skills needed right off.
During the program, Daggett said she is teaching students knife skills, the 16 cooking methods, basic cake decorating, baked breads, sanitation and food safety and students will be ServSafe certified through the National Restaurant Association.
“That makes them very marketable,” Daggett said. “They will walk out of the Career Center classroom and be an integral part of any restaurant because of that certification.”
“I took the class because I want to be a chef. I’m not sure what kind of chef but I want to be a chef. I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” said Warsaw junior Francesca DiVaccaro.
Her previous classes include nutrition and wellness, advanced nutrition and wellness and food science.
Warsaw senior Sabrina Kaizer said, “I want to be a chef when I’m older.”
Though not sure what kind of chef she wants to be yet, Kaizer took a week’s worth of classes at the Art Institute in Indianapolis during the summer. In that class, she said she learned knife skills and plating.
“I took this class because when I’m older, I want to go into the culinary field,” said Luis Munoz, a Warsaw junior.
“I want to learn all the skills I can possibly learn before culinary school. Before that, I want a job to earn money to go to culinary school,” Munoz stated.
“I want to better understand the workings of the culinary arts,” Gage Owens, a Warsaw senior, said of why he is taking the course.
Owens said he wants to open his own restaurant, either a barbecue place or steak house.
Whitko senior Edward VanHouten said he’s taking the program “because I think culinary is awesome and I want to do something with culinary when I get out of high school.”
He said he’d like to be a chef or open up his own restaurant. He enjoys making breakfast foods most.
“We’re real excited,” Kawsky said of the growing Culinary Arts program. “It’s going to be great.”[[In-content Ad]]
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Prior to this school year, the WACC Culinary Arts program was held at Whitko High School. The Warsaw Schools Food Service used to prepare meals for some Warsaw elementary schools in the WACC kitchen, according to Director Ronna Kawsky.
With the construction of the four new elementary schools, and those schools opening for the 2010-11 school year, the Career Center kitchen was no longer needed to make meals for any of the Warsaw elementary schools.
Warsaw Schools officials allowed the Culinary Arts program to use the kitchen, so the program was moved from Whitko to the WACC, Kawsky said. The kitchen is in the old freshman high school cafeteria.
“By moving the program to Warsaw, we are able to increase dual credit opportunities from two hours with Ivy Tech to a potential of 15,” Kawsky said.
This year, students can earn up to 9 to 12 hours of college credit. By next year, she said, a student will be able to earn 12 to 15 hours from Ivy Tech.
As the program grows, she said, one of the goals is to get a full restaurant running in the WACC.
“It is our goal that next year, students will run the front of the house and back of the house, and open the restaurant for a few hours a week to the public,” Kawsky said.
First, however, she said there is still a lot of planning and work to be done to make it happen.
Enrollment in the Culinary Arts has to increase, Kawsky said. Currently, there are 12 students in the program from Warsaw and Whitko. The class is a two-hour class. Next year, the goal is to have a three-hour class and for there to be two classes, one in the morning and one in the evening with overlap at lunch.
The plan is for the culinary artist, Chef Theresa Daggett, to be a full-time instructor.
Daggett, according to Kawsky, has studied abroad. She teaches at Ivy Tech and does some courses at Martin’s Supermarket. Daggett said she has been a certified chef for five years, and has been in the industry for more than 20 years. She has worked in the front of the house and back of the house.
Daggett said her goals are for the students to be able to walk into a culinary arts college and have a leg up on the other students because they already have credits. If they don’t go to a culinary school, Daggett said, she still wants them to go into a restaurant for a job and have the skills needed right off.
During the program, Daggett said she is teaching students knife skills, the 16 cooking methods, basic cake decorating, baked breads, sanitation and food safety and students will be ServSafe certified through the National Restaurant Association.
“That makes them very marketable,” Daggett said. “They will walk out of the Career Center classroom and be an integral part of any restaurant because of that certification.”
“I took the class because I want to be a chef. I’m not sure what kind of chef but I want to be a chef. I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” said Warsaw junior Francesca DiVaccaro.
Her previous classes include nutrition and wellness, advanced nutrition and wellness and food science.
Warsaw senior Sabrina Kaizer said, “I want to be a chef when I’m older.”
Though not sure what kind of chef she wants to be yet, Kaizer took a week’s worth of classes at the Art Institute in Indianapolis during the summer. In that class, she said she learned knife skills and plating.
“I took this class because when I’m older, I want to go into the culinary field,” said Luis Munoz, a Warsaw junior.
“I want to learn all the skills I can possibly learn before culinary school. Before that, I want a job to earn money to go to culinary school,” Munoz stated.
“I want to better understand the workings of the culinary arts,” Gage Owens, a Warsaw senior, said of why he is taking the course.
Owens said he wants to open his own restaurant, either a barbecue place or steak house.
Whitko senior Edward VanHouten said he’s taking the program “because I think culinary is awesome and I want to do something with culinary when I get out of high school.”
He said he’d like to be a chef or open up his own restaurant. He enjoys making breakfast foods most.
“We’re real excited,” Kawsky said of the growing Culinary Arts program. “It’s going to be great.”[[In-content Ad]]
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