Culinary is a course for beginners to learn basic food preparation skills. Topics in this class include food safety, recipe reading, proper equipment use, microwave cooking, cooking with products such as milk, eggs, and an introduction to baking techniques. Along with that, culinary allows students to gain independence on how to take care of themselves in the future. Culinary is a fun class for students to experiment with cooking and get a fundamental idea how to properly handle food. Culinary also motivates people to eat healthy foods and learn how to make meals at home. Culinary teacher Mrs Stubbs has been teaching family consumer science for 9 years total, 6 years at Sentinel. 

  According to Mrs. Stubbs, a teacher at Sentinel High School, it’s important to take culinary classes because “everyone eats at least 2-5 times per day and it’s good to have a sense of independence.” Stubbs also says “It’s also important to know how foods affect your mood and your energy level as well as what you’re putting in your body. Culinary also teaches you skills that you will use at some point in your life in some form of hospitality, it’s good to know and gives you experience going into those jobs”. 

  This course curriculum includes basics in home cooking skills as well as ways you could learn skills in the food industry. Fun activities in the class include chop challenges where there’s three rounds making an appetizer, entree and desert. There’s becoming more opportunities for culinary classes/ courses in highschools such as two dual credit opportunities to go towards if you want to be a teacher in the future. Dual credits are opportunities for high school students to take college courses while still in high school which allows students to get head starts in their desired career choice. At Sentinel you are able to get 12 credits total at sentinel towards a teaching degree. Stubbs talks about what makes Sentinel’s culinary classes unique and special from other schools. “We get to Work with a lot more versatile equipment at the sentinel as well as we have a good environment/ atmosphere in classes here” 

A cool activity that  Stubbs started at sentinel is the Culinary arts and catering. Sentinel students will be offering gourmet boxed lunches for teachers and staff. Students provide high quality fresh meals on Wednesday two to three times a month. In interviewing Stubbs she states “ It’s a really cool experience for students to get the whole industry from start to finish. Kids build the menus, price, prep, assemble and deliver food. It’s a Student run activity that establishes independence  and a good way to supplement budget funds as well. This activity has a set menu for students to make; Day 1, Baked Potato Soup, Kale Caesar Salad, and a Chocolate Chip Curry. Day 2, Crunch-Wrap, Mexican Rice and a Smores Cookie Bar. Lastly Day 3, Turkey Club Sandwich, Creamy Tomato Soup, and a Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles.

With there being close to three months left of this school year, Stubbs has some fun things planned for her culinary class. From new recipes to exciting field trips full of expert culinary tips. According to  Stubbs,  “The rest of the year has lots of field trips planned, especially for “Tourism and Hospitality” which encompasses all sorts of hospitality, not just cuisine; we will be  going to PAWS Up and Downtown Hotels, to observe how the food industry actually works”.

With culinary class being highly advised to take at Sentinel High School because of its importance as a whole and learning independence and living necessities, it’s also enjoyable and allows artistic freedom and creativity.