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Wednesday, November 14 2007 |
By BECKY HAND
Community Editor
They say good things come to those who wait. For Diane Ciolli, the wait was 18 years, but the good things are not just good, they’re delicious.
Ciolli had always dreamed of having a culinary arts class at Whitko, where she has taught Family Consumer Sciences for 20 years now. So when there was talk of remodeling, her idea was presented, approved and her culinary class was started just last year.
The Culinary Arts class works in conjunction with the Warsaw Career Center, allowing students from Tippecanoe Valley and the Warsaw Community schools to participate.
This year there were 300 applicants for this class, for which only 17 students can be accepted. Ciolli checks the students’ attendance and disciplinary records, as well as making sure that pre-requisites are fulfilled as she whittles down the list. Students are required to write an essay about why they want to be in this class, as well.
“It’s a very diverse group, but they have melded well,” states Ciolli, noting that five of this year’s graduates are going on to Sullivan University, in Louisville, Ky. to pursue a career in the food preparation industry.
The class took a field trip to Sullivan last month and found out that three of their classmates had received $5,000 scholarships: Terren Raphael and Derek Snodgrass, juniors, and Chris Palazzolo, a senior.
The class has also recently finished a course called ServSafe. This course, if completed successfully, will allow the students to test out of it at college. One student has even been promised a manager position at a local fast food restaurant if he passes.
ServSafe is an intensive class which teaches the students about safe food preparation practices. The students learn about many of the diseases that can be avoided, their causes, symptoms, and preventative measures.
The Culinary Arts class allows students to prepare a full course meal every day.
“It gets expensive,” says Ciolli, and so the class caters some functions to earn its keep. Last week they catered the College Fair Luncheon at Whitko. The menu included Filet burgers, Chicken in Puff Pastry, Bruschetta on Focaccia Bread, Green Garden Salad, Corn Casserole, Herbal Baked Potatoes, Pumpkin Pie with whipped topping, and Chocolate Raspberry Shortcake Towers, all prepared from scratch by the students.
Rebecca Ward, of Penguin Point Catering, was present and quite impressed.
“I didn’t even know they had this program,” said Ward as she sampled the pumpkin pie. After the meal, Ward was kept busy interviewing students for possible employment.
The students have seven major catering events this year so far, including an event at Lakeland Christian Academy on Nov. 29 in which they will be feeding 200 people.
The popularity of the class is not limited to the students and the guests. Many faces were seen pressed up against the window at the classroom door, obviously drawn to it by the wonderful smells emanating from the room.
“That happens every day,” said Ann Barnes, who aspires to be an Executive chef. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, November 15 2007 )
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