Wednesday, November 19, 2008 12:19 PM EST
Something is cooking at Chariho Culinary Arts
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 Tenth graders Jake Tefft and Jessie Barber attend the Chariho Career and Technical Center's Culinary Arts Program. They are taking orders for Thanksgiving pies now for delivery during the holidays. Students are making apple pies, with fresh apples, blueberry, cherry, pumpkin and mincemeat. They sell for $8 and pecan for $9. They also have pumpkin raisin and cranberry nut bread available. Call Chariho at (401) 364-6869 to order.
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WOOD RIVER JCT. – Students at Chariho Career and Technical Center, Culinary Arts program are kicking it up a notch in preparation for holiday baking.
About 40 students are a part of the program that meets every other day for two periods or three hours a day, learning skills that chef instructor Linda Musch says will be useful to them when they graduate, regardless of their field of study. About half of the program graduates pursue further study in the culinary arts in a four-year program. Musch has been with the program 18 years and in the food service industry more than 35.
The three-year program, she guesses has been offered about 30 years and begins with industry basics that include cooking methods, knife cuts, sanitation procedures and personal hygiene.
Second and third year students are combined, learning advanced skills that include the business aspects of the industry, menu planning and design and more sanitation methods .
Students who choose to participate can be Serv Safe Certified when they graduate. But they make use of those skills now in the Dining Room, a small restaurant that is run primarily by students in the program supervised by Musch, creating a hands-on environment for learning, including all aspects of restaurant management.
Monthly menus are posted on line and can be sent by email and the restaurant serves students, parents, teachers, and is open to the public. Maureen Black of Charlestown stops by to pick up a $10 ham and cheese quiche she ordered and often stops by for lunch. Her son was in the culinary arts program before he graduated in 2007.
They have a somewhat larger group this year than they have in the past and Musch thinks it may have something to do with television and the popularity of the Food Network and other programming that features cooking.
They are taking orders for Thanksgiving pies now for delivery during the holidays. Students are making apple pies with fresh apples Musch points out, blueberry cherry, pumpkin and mincemeat sell for $8 and pecan for $9. They will also have pumpkin raisin and cranberry nut bread available.
When Thanksgiving is over they move right into making 400 to 500 pounds of Christmas cookies that include sugar cookies, macaroons, biscotti and many others. Come January lasagna will be available to order for Super Bowl Sunday and fish dinners are in the lineup for Ash Wednesday.
Tenth grader Jake Tefft of Hope Valley is in the program.
“It’s something I wanted to pursue as a career,” says Tefft, remaining uncertain about the specifics of his future. He particularly enjoys the hands on aspect of the program and is unimpressed with prep work. He just wants to make the food. Jessie Barber, also in the class, enjoys the baking part of the program.
“I figured it would be better than the other electives offered, giving me more experience for the future. Giving me skills I can make use of.”
Every class is on a rotation and the bakery rotation is coming up for her soon. She is looking forward to it. And the rotation gives everyone a chance to experience all of the different roles in the industry.
Barber and Tefft agree that dishwashing is least favored among students, but everyone in the program works as a team and depends on each other.
To place an order for holiday pies or Christmas cookies, contact the school at (401) 364-6869.
About 40 students are a part of the program that meets every other day for two periods or three hours a day, learning skills that chef instructor Linda Musch says will be useful to them when they graduate, regardless of their field of study. About half of the program graduates pursue further study in the culinary arts in a four-year program. Musch has been with the program 18 years and in the food service industry more than 35.
The three-year program, she guesses has been offered about 30 years and begins with industry basics that include cooking methods, knife cuts, sanitation procedures and personal hygiene.
Second and third year students are combined, learning advanced skills that include the business aspects of the industry, menu planning and design and more sanitation methods .
Students who choose to participate can be Serv Safe Certified when they graduate. But they make use of those skills now in the Dining Room, a small restaurant that is run primarily by students in the program supervised by Musch, creating a hands-on environment for learning, including all aspects of restaurant management.
Monthly menus are posted on line and can be sent by email and the restaurant serves students, parents, teachers, and is open to the public. Maureen Black of Charlestown stops by to pick up a $10 ham and cheese quiche she ordered and often stops by for lunch. Her son was in the culinary arts program before he graduated in 2007.
They have a somewhat larger group this year than they have in the past and Musch thinks it may have something to do with television and the popularity of the Food Network and other programming that features cooking.
They are taking orders for Thanksgiving pies now for delivery during the holidays. Students are making apple pies with fresh apples Musch points out, blueberry cherry, pumpkin and mincemeat sell for $8 and pecan for $9. They will also have pumpkin raisin and cranberry nut bread available.
When Thanksgiving is over they move right into making 400 to 500 pounds of Christmas cookies that include sugar cookies, macaroons, biscotti and many others. Come January lasagna will be available to order for Super Bowl Sunday and fish dinners are in the lineup for Ash Wednesday.
Tenth grader Jake Tefft of Hope Valley is in the program.
“It’s something I wanted to pursue as a career,” says Tefft, remaining uncertain about the specifics of his future. He particularly enjoys the hands on aspect of the program and is unimpressed with prep work. He just wants to make the food. Jessie Barber, also in the class, enjoys the baking part of the program.
“I figured it would be better than the other electives offered, giving me more experience for the future. Giving me skills I can make use of.”
Every class is on a rotation and the bakery rotation is coming up for her soon. She is looking forward to it. And the rotation gives everyone a chance to experience all of the different roles in the industry.
Barber and Tefft agree that dishwashing is least favored among students, but everyone in the program works as a team and depends on each other.
To place an order for holiday pies or Christmas cookies, contact the school at (401) 364-6869.
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