RTI offers a program called “Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts.” Students can earn half of a unit of Communication Arts and half of a unit of math. Students will get hands on experience for the restaurant/hospitality industry, learn basic kitchen skills, and also perform in culinary competitions. This is the second year that the program has existed.
Junior Taylor Squires attends the Culinary Arts program along with students from other schools like Cuba, Steelville, St. James, and Salem.
“Basically we learn about what temperature meats should be cooked at, how to prep meals, how to cook and clean things properly, where and how to store things in the fridge/freezer, how to set up tables and waitress. We also are trained to work things like a banquet or how to be a line cook,” Squires said.
This class is mainly for people interested in the culinary arts field, like Squires was when she started this program, but if students who want to take it just because it sounds fun or want to learn how to cook then then they are also welcome.
“I would recommend anyone to take this class even if they aren’t necessarily interested in the culinary arts field because it teaches everyone a lot of good cooking skills and it’s really fun, plus the embedded credits are really nice,” Squires said.
To take Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts, first one has to turn in an application that is found in the counseling center, and available to upcoming juniors and seniors. There’s a small fee for uniform costs, but the uniforms are mandatory when cooking in the kitchen. It is a two year program, if one decides to go both years, and the extra credits are applied to both years. Meaning, by the end of taking both years, one would also have one extra math and English credit. Students also participate in SKILLS USA, a career and technical student organization, and other cooking competitions throughout the year by putting their skills to the test.
“This class is really great because I like being able to make new things and take the recipes home and make things more extravagant than I used to. Learning what temperatures different types of meat need to be cooked at is also really helpful in preventing sickness from wrongly cooked meat,” Squires said.