Local high school students are taking the opportunity to explore careers in the culinary arts through classes and internships at Nevada Union High School (NU), according to one of the three teachers in the expanding program, Kelli Sawyer.
The culinary program at NU has grown tremendously in the past nine years since Sawyer was first hired on. Three teachers now provide instruction for 14 culinary classes, and the waiting list of students who want to take the class is growing.
Sawyer and two of her students, Joli Varanini and Kiara Siniscalco, presented information about the success of the program during a Nevada Joint Union High School District Board Meeting.
Culinary students run the Miner Diner located on the school’s campus that serves up coffee drinks, muffins, and scones around breakfast time, and salads, wraps and other grab-and-go items around lunchtime.
At the Miner Diner, which opened several years ago, students learn barista skills that they can later use to get hired at a coffee shop or cafe.
Students enrolled in NU’s catering program also cater local events such as the recent Christmas party for the Nevada County Contractors Association (NCCA) held at the Gold Miners Inn in Grass Valley.
“Our catering program has been exploding very organically,” Sawyer said. “We did not set out to do any catering. It just kind of happened. People asked us, and we said, ‘Sure, we can do that for you,’ and now we’re flooded every day with catering orders, which is really amazing.”
It’s been a great work experience opportunity for NU students, according to Sawyer.
The advanced management students planned and tested out the recipes, and then prepared the food in the classroom which was then transported over to the NCCA party location and served to 200 guests.
“It was really fun. People really liked it,” Senoscal said. “We ran out of food really quickly because people really liked it.”
Students have also catered county workshop events, Sierra College events, and on campus events for staff and families.
They have also partnered with Meals on Wheels to prepare treats to be included in their deliveries, according to Sawyer.
The catering classes at NU have averaged between 80 and 95 events, both on and off campus every year since the program began — even though there are only about 180 days of instruction in a school year at NU.
UniverSoul Cafe Partnership
Another new facet of NU’s expanding catering program that began during the current school year is a partnership with the UniverSoul Cafe, a Sacramento-based non-profit.
Students participating in the UniverSoul Cafe have started to make take-home meals for students who are food insecure and may not be able to afford food.
“We utilize food recovery, which is gathering perfectly good food from local restaurants, grocery stores, etc. that would otherwise just be thrown away,” one of the catering management students told the board and the public,” Varanini said. “We’re pairing that with fresh and local ingredients to create these meals.”
The first meal distribution was before Thanksgiving, where students passed out 200 meals.
The ultimate goal is to make weekly meals that students can take home on Fridays, and bring home to their families.
Career paths and internships
All courses are dual enrollment with Lake Tahoe Community College, meaning that if a student takes all the classes — beginning, intermediate, advanced, and management — they can graduate with about 12+ college credits, according to Sawyer.
Last school year, 53 students completed the pathway requirements, and now internship opportunities in the community are increasing through the career and technical education (CTE).
Emily’s Catering, Way Yum Sushi, and other businesses in the community are “literally begging” for student interns, according to Sawyer.
High school students from other local campuses within the NJUHSD also have similar catering programs, however this update was provided during the “Student Showcase” portion of the NJUHSD board meeting.