The Introduction to Foods elective is a hands-on experience that teaches students cooking techniques, Culinary-Arts instructor Lori Anderson-Day.
This class helps students develop skills such as teamwork, organization, and a basic understanding of nutrition, Anderson-Day said.
“We have two classes right now, Intro to Foods, which is a semester-long class, and that is really just what it is, an introduction,” Anderson-Day said. “So it’s a lot of basic skills, learning about food safety, kitchen safety, and working well with others.”
The best parts about the class are meeting and collaborating with new people every time they switch tables and new cooking experiences, junior Khenadee Trinh said.
“I just wanted to get more experience in cooking,” Trinh said. “I would never really cook for myself at home, so I just think cooking is like a good hobby to have overall.”
Senior Lizbeth Penaloza has learned how to keep a clean area in the kitchen and how to do specific measurements in her foods class, she said.
“A memorable experience would be when we were making chocolate lava cake and we had to do math and combine some of the measuring numbers, and it was so stressful,” Penaloza said.
Students cover knife safety, specifically, and appliance safety, safety with water, and general cleanup, Anderson-Day said. They also learn how to make sure the food is safe to eat, cooked correctly, and preserved correctly, so students don’t feel sick, she added.
“We have a safety unit so they can’t cook until we have a public safety unit, and they have to pass the protocols for safety in the classroom,” Anderson-Day said. “It can be challenging because sometimes I get new students who haven’t been in my safety unit.”
The foods class has influenced her by inspiring her to go into the culinary arts path in college, Penaloza said.
“My favorite thing is when we do labs, when we are hands-on with the food, and each person has a little job,” Penaloza said.
She definitely feels more comfortable in the kitchen after taking the foods class, Trinh said.
“(For upcoming students I would advise) just to be open-minded and have different ways of doing things,” Trinh said.